Australian Dual Citizens Entering UK after February

[New to this]

As you pointed out up thread, this warning was posted on the UK Gov website last September.
I’m not sure if there was a press release or the Media simply didn’t run it, but there was plenty of warning imo.

I travel there regularly and never heard a thing
No signs at Heathrow saying ‘attention dual citizens’. Nothing

Nothing on SmartTraveller
Even our travel agent knew nothing about it.

I expect we’ll all need to check Gov.UK websites regularly in future.

 

[Bugs]

I travel there regularly and never heard a thing
No signs at Heathrow saying ‘attention dual citizens’. Nothing

Nothing on SmartTraveller
Even our travel agent knew nothing about it.

I expect we’ll all need to check Gov.UK websites regularly in future.

Even Qantas check in at Adelaide domestic knew nothing. And the check in agent knew nothing…..I don’t have much faith in the system.

 

[Flyingwombat]

Every time I fly international from Australia I see someone ‘rejected’ at the e-gates. The officer now just calls out ‘do you have another passport?’. Invariably the passenger does. They're told to use that one and they're on their way!

I think that’s what was behind the passport linking… even though it might have taken us a few years to get there. Because initially when they started doing the linking you still had to use your aussie passport at the e-gates.

I had this the last time I travelled to UK (April last year). I've always kept my UK passport and became Aussie in 2002. I had not had a problem before but this time I put in my UK passport number with Qantas. I couldn't check in online and at the desk the lady said she had seen this issue before and needed to call Immigration. I looked worried but she kept reassuring me all was OK. She linked up the passports on the phone and then all was good. I couldn't scan out of Australia at the automatic gates but the staff checked both passports manually and said it should be OK the next time...

I am flying to London from Hobart via Perth in a few days - interested to see what Hobart check in do. This time I haven't entered either passport and will just handover both and say "do your thing" in the system!

As an aside, I personally don't get the whining. UK passports are cheap and easy to renew. Why pay loads of money to renounce your citizenship or pay for a certificate of entitlement when you can get a cheap passport that is valid for 10 years? I also saved a fortune in Chile, Brasil and Viet Nam where no visa needed on the UK one.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I had this the last time I travelled to UK (April last year). I've always kept my UK passport and became Aussie in 2002. I had not had a problem before but this time I put in my UK passport number with Qantas. I couldn't check in online and at the desk the lady said she had seen this issue before and needed to call Immigration. I looked worried but she kept reassuring me all was OK. She linked up the passports on the phone and then all was good. I couldn't scan out of Australia at the automatic gates but the staff checked both passports manually and said it should be OK the next time...

I am flying to London from Hobart via Perth in a few days - interested to see what Hobart check in do. This time I haven't entered either passport and will just handover both and say "do your thing" in the system!

As an aside, I personally don't get the whining. UK passports are cheap and easy to renew. Why pay loads of money to renounce your citizenship or pay for a certificate of entitlement when you can get a cheap passport that is valid for 10 years? I also saved a fortune in Chile, Brasil and Viet Nam where no visa needed on the UK one.

Which passport you hand over depends where you will end up. If you are flying to the UK you’ll either need to show your aussie passport with an ETA (until feb 25) or your UK passport.

Aussie + ETA means you’ll use that passport in the egates to leave AU. if you show your UK passport it’s likely you’ll use that in the egates.

Even Qantas check in at Adelaide domestic knew nothing. And the check in agent knew nothing…..I don’t have much faith in the system.

Why would they? They don’t need to until 25 Feb,

At the moment they know pax travelling to the UK either need a visa, and ETA. or a UK passport.

Issues of nationality aren’t their concern. Their system will give them a ‘board’ or ‘Do not board’ depending on the passport they have been given.

 

[Flyingwombat]

Which passport you hand over depends where you will end up. If you are flying to the UK you’ll either need to show your aussie passport with an ETA (until feb 25) or your UK passport.

Aussie + ETA means you’ll use that passport in the egates to leave AU. if you show your UK passport it’s likely you’ll use that in the egates.

Last time, I couldn't scan out of Australia on either passport - neither worked. I assume this time, I can use the Aussie one as the passports are now linked.

The check in agent at SYD who seemed to know what she as doing said in future to just hand over both passports to Qantas check in and they put in the details required of both passports. She advised that the linking will need to be done again once either of the passports expire.

I only ever enter UK on my British passport. I was born there so no way I am paying an ETA fee to enter my own birth country!

 

[Zero]

CX allows you to enter different API for each flight, I recently did SYD-HKG-LHR so put Aus pp into SYD-HKG and British pp into HKG-LHR. Aus pp worked at the SYD departure e-gates.

I don't believe that my passports are "linked" in the ABF system unless the ABF guy did it when I was exiting PER on the PER-LHR non-stop. I had put UK pp into the API and used UK pp at check-in, but showed the ABF guy Aus pp (as required) and he didn't say anything.

Those are actually the only two times I've checked in to an itinerary from Aus that arrived in the UK - most of the time I stop over somewhere for more than a day

 

[Pushka]

As an aside, I personally don't get the whining. UK passports are cheap and easy to renew. Why pay loads of money to renounce your citizenship or pay for a certificate of entitlement when you can get a cheap passport that is valid for 10 years? I also saved a fortune in Chile, Brasil and Viet Nam where no visa needed on the UK one.

The whining? It's the lack of notice for people travelling soon who do not have the luxury of waiting for a passport to be processed. Last year they applied for the ETA with no notification that if also a British citizen that the ETA they'd just paid for would be invalid come late February.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The whining? It's the lack of notice for people travelling soon who do not have the luxury of waiting for a passport to be processed. Last year they applied for the ETA with no notification that if also a British citizen that the ETA they'd just paid for would be invalid come late February.

If you applied for the ETA you had to have read that you aren’t eligible if you are a british citizen.

Those people went ahead and obtained one anyway.

 

[Pushka]

If you applied for the ETA you had to have read that you aren’t eligible if you are a british citizen.

Those people went ahead and obtained one anyway.

I understand that the wording was only changed recently. In December 2025.

Before the ETA was fully enforced (from early 2025 through late 2025), the messaging on government sites and in apps was sometimes unclear about dual citizens — especially those holding two passports (e.g., Australian and British) — because the ETA system itself doesn’t ask for British citizenship as an option when you apply. That led to confusion and people trying to apply for ETAs on their non-British passport, even when they were exempt.

 

[burneracc]

Last year they applied for the ETA with no notification that if also a British citizen that the ETA they'd just paid for would be invalid come late February.

They shouldn’t have applied for an ETA last year regardless - it was never officially allowed.

 

[StayGoldPonyboy]

They shouldn’t have applied for an ETA last year regardless - it was never officially allowed.

My sister was born in the UK whilst my non British parents worked there, came to Australia as an infant. If I hadn't seen this thread she would have had no idea she needed to check her eligibility. She would have ticked the "not British citizen" box. But I have convinced her she needs to check. She's never had a UK passport, only recently got her Oz one. It's just not as obvious as it seems in some situations.

 

[Pushka]

They shouldn’t have applied for an ETA last year regardless - it was never officially allowed.

But not stated when applying for it until December.

My sister was born in the UK whilst my non British parents worked there, came to Australia as an infant. If I hadn't seen this thread she would have had no idea she needed to check her eligibility. She would have ticked the "not British citizen" box. But I have convinced her she needs to check. She's never had a UK passport, only recently got her Oz one. It's just not as obvious as it seems in some situations.

She may not be a UK citizen if parents weren't.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

My sister was born in the UK whilst my non British parents worked there, came to Australia as an infant. If I hadn't seen this thread she would have had no idea she needed to check her eligibility. She would have ticked the "not British citizen" box. But I have convinced her she needs to check. She's never had a UK passport, only recently got her Oz one. It's just not as obvious as it seems in some situations.

It’s highly unlikely someone in that situation is going to be caught under the ETA rules.

The UK has no way to prove your sister is British, and if you sister hasn’t claimed nationality, the UK simply won’t know.

 

[StayGoldPonyboy]

But not stated when applying for it until December.

She may not be a UK citizen if parents weren't.

She was born in London before 1983, soi think she is. But she would have literally been one of those folk turned away at the airport because she had no idea. Even if she saw it on the news she would have been "no that's not me, I've never had a UK passport and my parents aren't British". I've told her to check with her TA asap at least.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

She was born in London before 1983, soi think she is. But she would have literally been one of those folk turned away at the airport because she had no idea. Even if she saw it on the news she would have been "no that's not me, I've never had a UK passport and my parents aren't British". I've told her to check with her TA asap at least.

The travel agent won’t be able to advise on british citizenship. And the travel agent won’t be able to deviate from the letter of the law. That would be unprofessional and open them up to legal liability.

A possible scenario your sister could encounter would be arriving in the UK on an Aussie passport and the immigration officer somehow noting her place of birth, and the year, and making a prima facie assessment that she is possibly a UK citizen.

If she is, she can’t be denied entry any way.

What’s unknown is if there would be any delays to entry while they do whatever paperwork they need to do.

 

[transpactraveller]

It’s highly unlikely someone in that situation is going to be caught under the ETA rules.

The UK has no way to prove your sister is British, and if you sister hasn’t claimed nationality, the UK simply won’t know.

Just might be questioned by overzealous check in agents who see a UK place of birth in the Australian passport. But as long as you can get the ETA approved, you should be fine.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Just might be questioned by overzealous check in agents who see a UK place of birth in the Australian passport. But as long as you can get the ETA approved, you should be fine.

I just posted that once the DOB had been given!

The problem is that ETA’s are being issued now, for travel up to 25 Feb. If you are UK citizen they’ll supposedly be invalid from that date.

Does the ETA ask for place of birth?