Dual nationals left at airports
A number of British dual nationals have been denied boarding after airlines began enforcing a rule that some travellers must use a British passport when returning to the UK, with one 26‑year‑old woman reported stranded in Spain. ( ) Government and briefing notes say the tightened enforcement follows changes effective February 25, 2026, and some workarounds — including certificate processing — can cost several hundred pounds. ( )
British dual nationals are being stopped at departure gates because airlines now have to check, before takeoff, that they hold British travel proof for trips back to the United Kingdom. (gov.uk) The change took effect on February 25, 2026, when the United Kingdom began fully enforcing its Electronic Travel Authorisation system for non-visa nationals. The Home Office said airlines must stop passengers boarding if they do not have an Electronic Travel Authorisation, an eVisa, or other valid documents. (gov.uk) British and Irish citizens cannot get an Electronic Travel Authorisation, including people with dual nationality, so the government says they should travel with a valid British passport, a valid Irish passport, or a foreign passport carrying a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode. The Home Office warned in November 2025 that dual British citizens could be denied boarding from February 25, 2026 if they did not have one of those documents. (gov.uk; gov.uk) That is why some travelers who used to fly home on a second passport are now hitting trouble at check-in or the gate. The House of Commons Library said British citizens had previously been able, in practice, to travel to the United Kingdom on a non-British passport and sort out their status at the border, but that route is no longer the one the Home Office expects carriers to accept. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk; independent.co.uk) One case that drew attention this week involved Natasha Cochrane De La Rosa, a 26-year-old British-Spanish dual national from London, who said she was denied boarding on an Amsterdam-to-Luton flight on April 6 after traveling on her Spanish passport. She later went to Seville and told reporters she was facing extra costs and uncertainty while trying to get home. (theolivepress.es; uk.news.yahoo.com) For most people, the cheapest fix is a British passport application. The House of Commons Library said a certificate of entitlement can take longer and costs £589, making it more expensive than a passport for many travelers. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) There is one notable exception on the government’s own dual citizenship page. People who became British citizens after settling in the United Kingdom under the European Union Settlement Scheme can still travel to the country using the passport of their other nationality, or in some cases a European national identity card, if their immigration account is updated. (gov.uk) The government’s position is that the rule has not changed who has the right to enter the country; it has changed how that right must be proved before boarding. For dual nationals standing at an airport desk, that distinction now decides whether they get on the plane. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk; gov.uk)
