Australian Dual Citizens Entering UK after February

[New to this]

Thanks for the information. Had your existing UK passport expired?

No, was still current. So, just a basic renewal.

Had 5 months on it. I am travelling just after the 25/2 deadline and didn’t want to risk turning up at check-in and finding a frazzled person telling me “you need 6 months left on your UK passport.”

(You don’t need 6 mths, but didn’t even want the debate - so took the risk on the turnaround being sufficient)

Good luck to others. Seems the system is working well enough. #britainnotbroken

 

[VPS]

SIL did her application for an expired passport this week. They didn't mentioned posting anything but said the complete application was extremely easy and completed quickly. They did say they took longer photocopying all her Oz passport pages than doing the actual application. So likely that's what they posted and not uploaded.

Many Travel Agents don't even know about it. Also someone they know applied for the UK visa in December and is a Brit citizen, there was no mention that within a few weeks this Visa would no longer work. Many will likely get caught out.

I’m still very interested in what will happen if they get there and they don’t have a British passport but just an ETA on their Aussie passport. I doubt that they would refuse them entry

 

[Pushka]

I’m still very interested in what will happen if they get there and they don’t have a British passport but just an ETA on their Aussie passport. I doubt that they would refuse them entry

They have friends in this predicament in February. No time to get the UK passport back they think. Last week SIL wasn't going to bother as they don't go back to UK. Then found out her daughter is giving a lecture at Oxford in May and feels the need to have it just in case.

I'd like to get British citizenship. Am trying to check if Dad ever took it out.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I’m still very interested in what will happen if they get there and they don’t have a British passport but just an ETA on their Aussie passport. I doubt that they would refuse them entry

That’s the big question.

According to the UK govt, any ETA issued to a british citizen won’t be valid come 25 February.

If they cancel/invalidate the ETA then there will be a ‘do not board’ message at check-in. The airline won’t carry you.

So not possible to even get to the ‘refused entry’ stage.

If however the system doesn’t cancel the ETAs then sure, no way a UK citizen can be denied entry if they reach the border.

 

[Zero]

Before 25 February there is no verification of ETAs by the UK government, only manually by airline staff.

Some people born in Aus to UK-born parents are automatically British citizens, while others aren't, depending on their precise circumstances.

As an example, if you're born before 1 July 2006 to a UK-born father who wasn't married to your non-British mother, you are not an automatic citizen. While if born after 1 Jan 1983 to a UK-born mother and a non-British father, you are an automatic citizen whether your parents were married or not. For some people, determining whether they are citizens can get incredibly complex.

The UK won't know that someone is an automatic citizen until they attempt to apply for a British passport for the first time, unless the ETA application is rewritten to ask the same questions as a first passport application.

If an automatic citizen has never tried to get a British passport, and they apply for an ETA saying they are not a British citizen (which could be an honest but wrong belief, or a deliberate lie), it's highly unlikely those ETAs will get cancelled. IMO, there won't be any problems using that ETA even after 25 February.

If you are not an automatic citizen you may have a shorter route to obtaining British citizenship, but there is no obligation to do this and if you don't do it, you will be treated the same as any other Aus citizen when getting an ETA.

If you've previously had a British passport, it seems that the Home Office has no records of passports issued prior to around 1995, so relies on physical evidence submitted by applicants when they try to reapply for British passports. It's unknown whether the ETA verification system will be linked to data of recently expired passports.

If you are an Irish citizen, you're meant to use an Irish passport and not get an ETA to travel to the UK, but the UK would generally not be able to know whether someone is an Irish citizen. Technically, everyone born in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland before 2005 is entitled to be an Irish citizen, but they are not Irish citizens until the first time they make an application for an Irish passport (or, apparently, enrol to vote in an Irish election for the first time).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Before 25 February there is no verification of ETAs by the UK government, only manually by airline staff.

Some people born in Aus to UK-born parents are automatically British citizens, while others aren't, depending on their precise circumstances.

As an example, if you're born before 1 July 2006 to a UK-born father who wasn't married to your non-British mother, you are not an automatic citizen. While if born after 1 Jan 1983 to a UK-born mother and a non-British father, you are an automatic citizen whether your parents were married or not. For some people, determining whether they are citizens can get incredibly complex.

The UK won't know that someone is an automatic citizen until they attempt to apply for a British passport for the first time, unless the ETA application is rewritten to ask the same questions as a first passport application.

If an automatic citizen has never tried to get a British passport, and they apply for an ETA saying they are not a British citizen (which could be an honest but wrong belief, or a deliberate lie), it's highly unlikely those ETAs will get cancelled. IMO, there won't be any problems using that ETA even after 25 February.

If you are not an automatic citizen you may have a shorter route to obtaining British citizenship, but there is no obligation to do this and if you don't do it, you will be treated the same as any other Aus citizen when getting an ETA.

If you've previously had a British passport, it seems that the Home Office has no records of passports issued prior to around 1995, so relies on physical evidence submitted by applicants when they try to reapply for British passports. It's unknown whether the ETA verification system will be linked to data of recently expired passports.

If you are an Irish citizen, you're meant to use an Irish passport and not get an ETA to travel to the UK, but the UK would generally not be able to know whether someone is an Irish citizen. Technically, everyone born in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland before 2005 is entitled to be an Irish citizen, but they are not Irish citizens until the first time they make an application for an Irish passport (or, apparently, enrol to vote in an Irish election for the first time).

I think that’s a good summary.

The people that are going to be potentially caught are those who have held British passports in say the last 20 years but have let them lapse. And further, those who have ticked ‘yes’ to whether or not they are also a British citizen on their ETA applications in their Aussie passports.

 

[New to this]

I’m still very interested in what will happen if they get there and they don’t have a British passport but just an ETA on their Aussie passport. I doubt that they would refuse them entry

For mine, it’s not UK Border Force that’s the issue. They may let them in.

In practice it’’s more likely the airline check-in desk, here - since they’ll be the ones enforcing it.

They’ll ask which passport they’re travelling on.

Might be best to then decide whether to show any pommie-tendencies or paperwork…

 

[clifford]

Things must be getting serious. Over dinner this evening, my wife mentioned that she probably should renew her lapsed UK passport, "just in case". She has no planned trips to the UK, but has read all the noise in the press.

I agreed that she should (it's not expensive, and will get you into Turkey for free), but I also suggested she would be better off applying for an Irish passport (her grandfather was from the Emeral Isle). As for me, I really should get off my butt and apply for an Austrian passport (my mother was born there). Oh, the fun of it all...

 

[transpactraveller]

I’m still very interested in what will happen if they get there and they don’t have a British passport but just an ETA on their Aussie passport. I doubt that they would refuse them entry

The problem will be getting to the UK in the first place. Airlines won't let you board the flight without an approved ETA (or UK passport).

It all hinges on whether the UK cancels ETAs held by UK citizens and stops approving ETAs for people they know have UK citizenship. But how can they know?

They'd need to match your Australian passport details with UK citizenship records?

If you're a UK citizen that's only ever entered the UK on an Australian passport, can they 100% know?

 

[Pushka]

Before 25 February there is no verification of ETAs by the UK government, only manually by airline staff.

Some people born in Aus to UK-born parents are automatically British citizens, while others aren't, depending on their precise circumstances.

As an example, if you're born before 1 July 2006 to a UK-born father who wasn't married to your non-British mother, you are not an automatic citizen. While if born after 1 Jan 1983 to a UK-born mother and a non-British father, you are an automatic citizen whether your parents were married or not. For some people, determining whether they are citizens can get incredibly complex.

The UK won't know that someone is an automatic citizen until they attempt to apply for a British passport for the first time, unless the ETA application is rewritten to ask the same questions as a first passport application.

If an automatic citizen has never tried to get a British passport, and they apply for an ETA saying they are not a British citizen (which could be an honest but wrong belief, or a deliberate lie), it's highly unlikely those ETAs will get cancelled. IMO, there won't be any problems using that ETA even after 25 February.

If you are not an automatic citizen you may have a shorter route to obtaining British citizenship, but there is no obligation to do this and if you don't do it, you will be treated the same as any other Aus citizen when getting an ETA.

If you've previously had a British passport, it seems that the Home Office has no records of passports issued prior to around 1995, so relies on physical evidence submitted by applicants when they try to reapply for British passports. It's unknown whether the ETA verification system will be linked to data of recently expired passports.

If you are an Irish citizen, you're meant to use an Irish passport and not get an ETA to travel to the UK, but the UK would generally not be able to know whether someone is an Irish citizen. Technically, everyone born in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland before 2005 is entitled to be an Irish citizen, but they are not Irish citizens until the first time they make an application for an Irish passport (or, apparently, enrol to vote in an Irish election for the first time).

If Australian born in 1930 but with both parents UK citizens and married, do you qualify for citizenship?

 

[Bugs]

It’s crazy. I’ve travelled on my Aussie passport a number of times. Last time I flew Qantas on Emirates and was asked to show my ETA at check in. I said I thought it was automatically linked to aussie passport but ticket agent still wanted to see the email with approved eta.
My problem now is….. I’m travelling on 5/3/26 with just aussie passport and eta.
I was born in UK.
My son is now coming, born in Australia with Aussie passport and linked eta.
Any opinions?
It’s 5 weeks today on QF9 YIKES

 

[Zero]

If Australian born in 1930 but with both parents UK citizens and married, do you qualify for citizenship?

Probably, however British citizenship has only existed since 1981. You would have been a British subject at birth. If you are legitimately descended from a father born in the UK, this would likely have converted to Citizen of the UK and Colonies in 1949, and likely converted to British citizenship in 1981.

The problem will be getting to the UK in the first place. Airlines won't let you board the flight without an approved ETA (or UK passport).

It all hinges on whether the UK cancels ETAs held by UK citizens and stops approving ETAs for people they know have UK citizenship. But how can they know?

They'd need to match your Australian passport details with UK citizenship records?

If you're a UK citizen that's only ever entered the UK on an Australian passport, can they 100% know?

The thing is there aren't really any full UK citizenship records. There are records of people who have naturalised or registered as citizens (but it has been reported that various records from ~30+ years ago have been lost).

There is no process to determine the citizenship of everyone when they are born. It only happens when you decide to apply for a British passport and you have to prove that you qualify for citizenship under the relevant laws (rather than your details being entered into a program which returns that you are a citizen), so if you have never gone through this process I don't see how the government would know.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Probably, however British citizenship has only existed since 1981. You would have been a British subject at birth. If you are legitimately descended from a father born in the UK, this would likely have converted to Citizen of the UK and Colonies in 1949, and likely converted to British citizenship in 1981.


The thing is there aren't really any full UK citizenship records. There are records of people who have naturalised or registered as citizens (but it has been reported that various records from ~30+ years ago have been lost).

There is no process to determine the citizenship of everyone when they are born. It only happens when you decide to apply for a British passport and you have to prove that you qualify for citizenship under the relevant laws (rather than your details being entered into a program which returns that you are a citizen), so if you have never gone through this process I don't see how the government would know.

And this is where the UK government has been potentially misleading in their advice.

They know they have no way of knowing who is and isnt a citizen in cases where you are ‘automatically’ British (but have never claimed it or held a passport). Yet none of their communication or advice has said that. They’re pushing for you to get a passport of COE when there might be no need to do so.

All they say is that the new laws cover those who are automatically British. Why? I suspect they can’t legally tell you otherwise if that’s what the letter of the law says.

 

[VPS]

It’s crazy. I’ve travelled on my Aussie passport a number of times. Last time I flew Qantas on Emirates and was asked to show my ETA at check in. I said I thought it was automatically linked to aussie passport but ticket agent still wanted to see the email with approved eta.
My problem now is….. I’m travelling on 5/3/26 with just aussie passport and eta.
I was born in UK.
My son is now coming, born in Australia with Aussie passport and linked eta.
Any opinions?
It’s 5 weeks today on QF9 YIKES

I’d be rushing through a UK passport

 

[Bugs]

I’d be rushing through a UK passport

Thankyou but passports are taking weeks apparently.
Ive changed my upcoming flight to depart PERTH on 16th February Monday. Qantas were good and spent quite a while assisting me.

 

[Beer_budget]

Maybe we're just more suspicious than most, but we were keeping an eye out for exactly this condition since the changes were announced in 2023 (I am an Aus citizen only, but spouse and MIL are dual, both with UK passports that expired during COVID).


This was on the ETA page from at least September last year, and on this basis we renewed her UK passport in October before booking her 2026 trip back. I'm especially surprised by the folks whose travel agents seem to have been taken unawares - surely staying on top of this is their job?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thankyou but passports are taking weeks apparently.
Ive changed my upcoming flight to depart PERTH on 16th February Monday. Qantas were good and spent quite a while assisting me.

Reports from the last couple of days in this thread suggest the processing time is very quick… couple of weeks.

I'm especially surprised by the folks whose travel agents seem to have been taken unawares - surely staying on top of this is their job?

Not really? Depends on your relationship with the TA I guess. Entry requirements are always the responsibility of the passenger, and can change quickly, I guess there are plenty of folk whi may have booked before this became a ‘thing’, and potential tilly no way of a TA knowing who could be caught, especially if the passenger did not disclose any other nationality, or eligibility for another nationality.

If you had specifically mentioned to a TA that you were a dual citizen, and been given specific advice, that might carry some weight.

 

[Beer_budget]

Reports from the last couple of days in this thread suggest the processing time is very quick… couple of weeks.


Not really? Depends on your relationship with the TA I guess. Entry requirements are always the responsibility of the passenger, and can change quickly, I guess there are plenty of folk whi may have booked before this became a ‘thing’, and potential tilly no way of a TA knowing who could be caught, especially if the passenger did not disclose any other nationality, or eligibility for another nationality.

If you had specifically mentioned to a TA that you were a dual citizen, and been given specific advice, that might carry some weight.

I've only used the one TA, and she was proactive about warning us about the upcoming changes to EU entry. Maybe she's set the bar too high though