Dual British Citizen Changes

(Text and images copyright Gherson Solicitors- reproduced with kind permission) (Image Ms Uttley of Ghersons)

With news that the Government has made changes to how UK dual citizens
can use their passports to enter the UK, please see comment from Lisa
Uttley, Immigration partner at Gherson Solicitors LLP

:

"From February 2026, the UK is drawing a clear line: if you are a dual
British citizen, you will need to use a British passport to enter the
country. Turning up with only a foreign passport will no longer be
enough, unless it carries a Certificate of Entitlement confirming your
right of abode, at a steep cost of £589.

The government says the change brings clarity. As the UK finalising
the roll out of its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system,
airlines and border officials need a simple way to distinguish between
visitors who require permission and citizens who have an automatic
right to enter. Requiring dual nationals to present a British passport
removes ambiguity and reduces the risk of boarding problems or
confusion at the border.

But the move is also uncompromising. Dual citizens who live abroad and
let their British passport lapse will now face renewal costs or a
hefty certificate fee just to travel home. For some, it feels less
like administrative tidying and more like a bureaucratic squeeze.

Ultimately, the rule reflects a broader trend: borders are becoming
more digitised, more system-driven and less flexible. Citizenship
still provides an unfettered right of entry but increasingly, only if
it's presented in the right format."