New Rules For Dual Citizens Entering UK From Feb 25

LONDON Feb 14: From February 25, 2026, Britons with dual citizenship must present a valid UK passport or a certificate of entitlement to prove their status when entering the country.

Previously, dual citizens have been able to travel to the UK using non-British passports and to prove their citizenship status using other documents, if required. Brits who are dual citizens now have less than two weeks to prepare for the digital change, which the Home Office is introducing in a push to digitalise border measures.

Because British and Irish citizens are exempt from ETAs, they must now travel on a British or Irish passport, or present a certificate of entitlement.

These new entry requirements will apply to all dual citizens living or travelling overseas from February 25, 2026.

Dual national British citizens include:

British-born people who have acquired another country’s nationality
People who naturalised or registered as British later in life
People who have been dual nationals since birth

How to prepare for the changes
If you are a British dual citizen, the key thing to do before February 25 is to ensure that you have a valid UK passport and that an existing passport has not expired.

While there is no legal requirement for British citizens to travel on a British passport, pre-departure checks for travellers make it difficult to do so without one, a House of Commons briefing noted.

For months, the Home Office has been advising dual nationals entering the UK to travel on a British passport, but it has not been strictly enforced to allow people time to adjust.

The cost to get or renew a standard British adult passport is £94.50 if you apply online, while a standard child passport costs £61.50.

If you apply for a passport via post, the cost is £107 for adults and £74 for children.

If applying from overseas, the cost online is slightly higher at £108 for adults and £70 for children, and £120.50 for adults and £82.50 for children via paper applications.

A certificate of entitlement – a document placed in a foreign passport that proves the holder can live and work in the UK, costs £589.

In the UK, you will usually receive your passport within three weeks, but it may take longer if you have to be interviewed or if more information is required.

If applying from another country, the turnaround times are different.

British passports issued after 2018 are valid for 10 years.

The briefing said: ‘Some people question why they can’t use other documents to prove their right of abode and exemption from the permission to travel requirement, such as an expired British passport or a certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British citizen.

‘Those documents aren’t listed in the Home Office’s document checking guidance for transport providers.