WEEKS — Live News Strict new passport rules come into force tomorrow – which could...
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British dual nationals will have to carry a British passport with them or pay £589 for a Certificate of Entitlement
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‘This has created chaos’, he added, saying that travellers are only ‘now realising what’s involved with the paperwork, the cost, the timeframes’ and sometimes this realisation only happens ‘just days before departure’.
The ‘Certificate of Entitlement’ costs $1,130 Australian Dollars to apply for while an adult British passport costs $190 down under. Alternatively, they can renounce their British citizenship for $968 in order to travel.
The new British passport rules have been on the government website since November 2025, The Guardian said.
Under current rules ending today, British dual citizens with a valid passport for one of their nationalities eligible for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), could enter the UK with that foreign passport without an ETA.
ETAs were brought in last year for citizens of countries that do not need a visa to enter the UK. They are mandatory, digital permission for non-visa nationals visiting or transiting through the UK, costing £10-£16 and valid for multiple, short trips over two years.
But as of tomorrow, British dual nationals must have a valid British or Irish passport with them to be allowed entry into the country of which they are a citizen, even with a valid foreign passport.
A potential lifeline has been offered to travellers with an expired UK passport issued in 1989 or later. They may be allowed to enter if they carry it alongside their foreign passport from a country that can get an ETA, but there is no legal guarantee of this.
The Home Office said: ‘The personal details on both passports must match. It is the carrier’s decision whether to allow you to travel.
‘If you previously had a UK passport, you can apply for an emergency travel document. You will need to have additional identity checks to verify your citizenship before you can go through UK passport control.’
Amid the overseas confusion and backlash, the UK’s Liberal Democrat party’s shadow immigration and asylum minister, Will Forster, said the changes to the passport rules involved a ‘lack of planning and haphazard communication’.
‘Many who don’t currently hold a British passport find themselves stranded abroad, having to stump up potentially huge sums of money and face long waits just to get back home,’ he said.
‘Whilst they sort out the chaos, the government should allow a grace period, as many dual nationals are in heartbreaking circumstances, unable to visit ill family members or attend weddings and funerals.
‘They must also urgently provide a low-cost, affordable alternative to the current system.’
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