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British dual nationals living abroad have told of their disgust, fury and distress over new UK border rules that mean they could risk be denied boarding on a flight, ferry or train.
The new rules, which come into force on 25 February, have caught many by surprise and require British dual nationals to present a British passport or a “certificate of entitlement”, which costs £589, to visit the UK on their non-British passport.
The changes will affect up to 1.2 million people who have moved abroad. Some have said the only option they now have is to renounce their British citizenship. Here are some Guardian readers’ stories.
‘All this for one last trip home is ridiculous’
Sandra, 78, a former civil servant, has lived in Australia for the past 50 years. She has always used her Australian passport to travel and recently discovered that will no longer work in the UK. But she has faced a mountain of paperwork to prove she is British. She has been told to apply as a first-timer as she has not held a British passport since the 1980s, and has been asked for her long birth certificate, and her full marriage certificate which she says her deceased ex-husband held on to. “I’m 78 and all this bullshit for one last trip home is ridiculous. I am disgusted,” she said.
She said an official at the passports office told her they had been inundated with passport applications. “They have not thought the process through for everyone impacted and they have not looked at what this means for the many people who do not have a passport,” she said.
‘There is only one solution: renounce our British citizenship’
John, who was born in the UK, married a French woman in 2002 and two years later moved permanently to France, where they had a daughter in 2008. She is registered as a dual citizen but has never had a British passport while John hasn’t held a UK passport since 2019 and uses his French passport to travel.
He is disgusted with the cost of getting a document to prove his birthright to enter the UK. “I am not paying £1,178 to the UK government for us to visit family,” he said. “So there is only one solution: renounce our British citizenship. Is this really what the government wants?”
‘I feel shut out of my own country’
Jacqueline Ossig, 79, has been living in Germany since 1968, became a German citizen more than 30 years ago and did not keep up with her British passport as there was no need.
“I was planning, at the ripe old age of 79 (turning 80 in April), to travel to London for probably the last time to visit the area where I grew up. The government has now decided that I should to pay £589 for the privilege and that I appear to pose a threat to the country whereas my German husband can enter the country and does not have to pay this additional fee,” she said.
“I feel I have been shut out of my own country. This coming on top of never having been allowed to vote. In my opinion this is insulting, scandalous and unacceptable. So much for British fairness.”
‘I’ve decided not to travel back again’
Margaret, in France, said the “red tape was insurmountable” as she tried to get a British passport after hers had expired. “It required travelling to Paris to get documents translated by an official translator and was not possible for me. I lost my €120 fee in the process.
“The new digital certificate of entitlement, besides the extortionate fee which translates to €677, requires travel to either Paris or Marseille for biometrics. There are no regional centres within 300km of my home. I will therefore not be applying and have decided not to travel back to the UK again.”
‘We cherish their annual visits’
Rachel was looking forward to seeing her son and grandson living in Australia at Easter but fears they won’t make it because her son’s passport has lapsed and her grandson, who has to make a new application, may not get the document in time.
“My husband and I are elderly and unable to travel to Australia and so we cherish their annual visits to the UK,” she said.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “From 25 February 2026, all dual British citizens will need to present either a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement when travelling to the UK. Without one, carriers cannot verify they are a British citizen, which may lead to delays or refused boarding.
“This requirement applies to all British citizens regardless of other nationality and is the same approach taken by other countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia.”
*Some names have been changed
