Australian Dual Citizens Entering UK after February

[transpactraveller]

At least the ABC is correctly saying "denied travel" (by the airline) whereas that SMH one is incorrectly saying "refused entry" to the UK.

You'll find out at check in if the airline is willing to let you on. It's not like you would fly all the way there and be turned around at the border.

 

[Noah Count]

You'll find out at check in if the airline is willing to let you on. It's not like you would fly all the way there and be turned around at the border.

This is a risk I am willing to take later this week. As I see it and my mad thinking:

1. Denied boarding in AU, it is a through flight - trip is now off.
2. Allowed to board to the Middle East and then denied boarding onwards boarding to the UK. I will spend a few days there and then come home.
3. Not allowed entry on arrival in the UK, I have to suck up the cost, fly back to the Middle East or some other place and get back to the Middle East for the return to AU (booked) and I am willing to deal with this.

The trip this week is only for a few days so I am willing to risk it. I have a bigger trip in a few months with the family and if I need to replan that now rather than later so be it.

 

[transpactraveller]

The outrage has now also reached the Canadians.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/dual-canadian-british-citizens-scrambling-under-new-passport-rules-9.7099400

Ironically Canada already has this rule in place for their own dual citizens (unable to get the Canadian ETA and must use a Canadian passport), so it's surprising that the Canadians are so surprised about the UK now doing the same!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

This is a risk I am willing to take later this week. As I see it and my mad thinking:

1. Denied boarding in AU, it is a through flight - trip is now off.
2. Allowed to board to the Middle East and then denied boarding onwards boarding to the UK. I will spend a few days there and then come home.
3. Not allowed entry on arrival in the UK, I have to suck up the cost, fly back to the Middle East or some other place and get back to the Middle East for the return to AU (booked) and I am willing to deal with this.

The trip this week is only for a few days so I am willing to risk it. I have a bigger trip in a few months with the family and if I need to replan that now rather than later so be it.

Option 3 can’t apply.

If you are a UK citizen and you arrive at the border you cannot be refused entry. Even if you turned up with no paperwork at all.

Will be interesting to hear your experience at the airport in Australia. That is, does your ETA remain valid (or get cancelled), and does check-in ask any questions beyond the ETA.

 

[Noah Count]

Option 3 can’t apply.

If you are a UK citizen and you arrive at the border you cannot be refused entry. Even if you turned up with no paperwork at all.

Will be interesting to hear your experience at the airport in Australia. That is, does your ETA remain valid (or get cancelled), and does check-in ask any questions beyond the ETA.

Thanks for the info, AFAIA AU have similar laws. I knew when I was in the ADF I could not be denied entry back into AU and on a RAAF flight back into AU many, many years back there were some on who had left their offical PP in the UK in error. They took a little more time to process but in the end customs gave up and let them in as we were all on the same flight. In my mind I'm not a UK citizen but based on what has been published I may well be. I did check my ETA today and results came back as being AU not UK. If I am asked questions at check-in I will most likely respond in a loose way that does not break the law.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for the info, AFAIA AU have similar laws. I knew when I was in the ADF I could not be denied entry back into AU and on a RAAF flight back into AU many, many years back there were some on who had left their offical PP in the UK in error. They took a little more time to process but in the end customs gave up and let them in as we were all on the same flight. In my mind I'm not a UK citizen but based on what has been published I may well be. I did check my ETA today and results came back as being AU not UK. If I am asked questions at check-in I will most likely respond in a loose way that does not break the law.

‘Are you a UK citizen?’… answer is ‘no’. It is difficult to imagine the check-in agent is going to ask probing questions around your birth, place of birth, who your parents were, where they were born, when they got married, and where they got married.

They’d need all of that to counter you given you have a valid ETA.

The big question is how much data matching can the UK government do… and could they somehow match you to being british and that you have an ETA. It seems unlikely.

Once you get to the border in the UK, the officer may be a little more savvy. But so what if they are… if they say you’re british then they have to let you in, If not… your ETA stands and you’re in anyway.

 

[Noah Count]

The big question is how much data matching can the UK government do… and could they somehow match you to being british and that you have an ETA. It seems unlikely.

Good question, in the back of my mind the are the 'five eyes', 'three eyes', and a few other rules which must be adhered to.

 

[LondonAussie]

I would imagine if someone were to successfully obtain an ETA despite being British, the airline would be none the wiser.

 

[Noah Count]

The big question is how much data matching can the UK government do… and could they somehow match you to being british and that you have an ETA. It seems unlikely.

For the record I am not a spook I just happen to know some of the most senior officers in the ADF. Was it planned, no, they just happened to live next door at Duntroon or what ever that Navy system academy it was they were on the same course be it ADFA, RMC, JSC or IOC.

 

[stu961]

‘Are you a UK citizen?’… answer is ‘no’. It is difficult to imagine the check-in agent is going to ask probing questions around your birth, place of birth, who your parents were, where they were born, when they got married, and where they got married.

They’d need all of that to counter you given you have a valid ETA.

The big question is how much data matching can the UK government do… and could they somehow match you to being british and that you have an ETA. It seems unlikely.

Once you get to the border in the UK, the officer may be a little more savvy. But so what if they are… if they say you’re british then they have to let you in, If not… your ETA stands and you’re in anyway.

As you say, it's about what can they can data match!! it's not hard to think of a lot of permutations and combinations of what would be extremely difficult/impossible to data match via a check in counter. Immigration in UK is a different subject, lateral thinking can happen there.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

For the record I am not a spook I just happen to know some of the most senior officers in the ADF. Was it planned, no, they just happened to live next door at Duntroon or what ever that Navy system academy it was they were on the same course be it ADFA, RMC, JSC or IOC.

I wasn’t thinking that lol. But was thinking if you are involved in any of those projects - which would ordinarily require security clearances - while you’d still get in to the UK as a citizen, providing incorrect information could affect your clearance.

If you’re not involved in any of that, I’m not sure whether five/three eyes/Aukus would extend to the complete swapping of personal information for all aussies to the uk and vv. The UK has strict rules on data sharing. They didn’t even want to provide it to the USA as part of APIS IIRC.

 

[Zero]

Ironically Canada already has this rule in place for their own dual citizens (unable to get the Canadian ETA and must use a Canadian passport), so it's surprising that the Canadians are so surprised about the UK now doing the same!

Canada has a process for people with another visa-exempt citizenship to be approved to fly there on the other passport. Canadian/US citizens can also just use a US passport as Americans are exempt from Canadian eTAs, although those with a US criminal record might be denied entry if they can't prove their Canadian citizenship.

Dual Canadian citizens need a valid Canadian passport - Canada.ca

Dual Canadian citizens need a valid Canadian passport

www.canada.ca

 

[Bugs]

Can’t wait for the stories on or before the 25th.
Would that be a new thread…..border stories after 25th?

 

[lovestotravel]

I would imagine if someone were to successfully obtain an ETA despite being British, the airline would be none the wiser.

If the kids passports don't arrive on time, but are approved we are probably going to try this

 

[TheRealTMA]

Maybe sanity will prevail?

New border rules for British dual nationals need to be quickly shut down, say Lib Dems

Letter to Shabana Mahmood describes controls that could block British dual citizens’ entry to UK as ‘unacceptable’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Rebus]

Maybe sanity will prevail?

New border rules for British dual nationals need to be quickly shut down, say Lib Dems

Letter to Shabana Mahmood describes controls that could block British dual citizens’ entry to UK as ‘unacceptable’

www.theguardian.com

One of the most pressing things that they need to look at is the fact that someone who was born overseas and is considered to be a British citizen due to the status of their parent, but who has never held a UK passport, is being treated as having the same status as a dual national British passport holder who has allowed their UK pp to expire.

 

[lovestotravel]

One of the most pressing things that they need to look at is the fact that someone who was born overseas and is considered to be a British citizen due to the status of their parent, but who has never held a UK passport, is being treated as having the same status of a dual national British passport holder who has allowed their UK pp to expire.

Yep

I'm on a few UK passport pages and the number of people or Adults with kids, who were unaware/don't care about having a UK passport is the majority.

We have no issues getting our kids the UK passports, it was on our list of things to do, but wasn't essential

The UK GOV is arrogantly saying they announced the changes in Oct 2025, which was correct however it was just a sneaky website update.

They then blasted travel agents and others early Jan and it hit the media Mid Jan and is everywhere now. Problem is applying from 20th of Jan onwards is great if you get an assessor who knows what they are doing. The passport will come back in 3-4 weeks. Problem is the passport office asks for extra documents which are not even advised at time of application, so that instantly adds 5 days for postage, 2 days to get scanned in when received and then 2 days before the assessor looks at the case again.

Throw in a weekend and it's basically a 2 week delay - Which is where we are now..

For me:

Child 1 - The additional paperwork was received last Thursday afternoon, at the scanning center and should be scanned in tonight (AU time)

Child 2 - The additional paperwork is in London, to be delivered Monday (tonight AU time)

From "approved" to receiving the passports here is 5-7 days...

16 days to departure

 

[Rebus]

For me:

Child 1 - The additional paperwork was received last Thursday afternoon, at the scanning center and should be scanned in tonight (AU time)

Child 2 - The additional paperwork is in London, to be delivered Monday (tonight AU time)

Did you have to send original copies of any grandparents' birth certificates? Or only those of the UK born parent?

 

[lovestotravel]

Did you have to send original copies of any grandparents' birth certificates? Or only those of the UK born parent?

Original birth certificates for both grandparents (paternal and maternal (UK) side)

Then they asked for a handwritten letter stating the Maternal grandparents names, dob, country of birth, for Child 1

At this time I also wrote the same letter for Child 2, just in case..

Then then asked for passport details of the Maternal grandparents for Child 2...., so I had to send another letter.

 

[Rebus]

Original birth certificates for both grandparents (paternal and maternal (UK) side)

Then they asked for a handwritten letter stating the Maternal grandparents names, dob, country of birth, for Child 1

At this time I also wrote the same letter for Child 2, just in case..

Then then asked for passport details of the Maternal grandparents for Child 2...., so I had to send another letter.

That's ridiculous. I reckon the required documentation has changed since I applied for our eldest child's UK passport in 2016 (now expired).