Strict New UK Entry Rules for Dual Citizens Begin February 25

Advertisement Opinion Dual citizens to face strict new rules on entering the UK Michael GebickiThe Tripologist January 19, 2026 — 5:00am January 19, 2026 — 5:00am You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. There’s a change coming next month that affects dual Australian-UK and Australian-Irish citizens entering the UK. From February 25, all such passport holders must use their British or Irish passport when they enter the UK. The rule change affects Irish nationals since they too are exempt from the UK’s border control requirements. The new rule reflects a tightening of the UK’s electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme, an entry requirement for all non-UK or Irish passport holders that came into effect on January 8, 2025. Until the new rule applies, dual Australian-British and Australian-Irish passport holders can, in theory, enter the UK on their Australian passport, provided they have an ETA, and that’s a loophole the UK government wants to stitch closed. In effect, the government is clarifying its position. British or Irish passport holders are not eligible for an ETA, therefore they must enter the UK on their UK or Irish passport. A large number of Australians will be affected by the change. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, almost a million Australian residents were born in the UK. Some of those are here on a visa, and are not Australian citizens, and therefore not dual nationals. However, add the number of Australians born in the UK to the number of Australians who qualify for UK citizenship by virtue of their parentage and there are probably close to two million who are eligible for a UK passport. Advertisement Add to that the number of dual Irish-Australian passport holders and the total rises even further. In the year ending June 30, 2025, more than a million Australian residents returned from short-term visits to the UK. It’s likely that many of those visitors are dual nationals, with either British or Irish citizenship. What if your UK or Irish passport has expired? The UK can’t refuse entry to its own citizens, nor to Irish nationals, but after February 25 you’re going to need a current passport. An expired British or Irish passport is not going to get you on a flight. Until that date, as a dual national you could book a flight ticket using an Australian passport for a flight to the UK and produce your expired British or Irish passport at the check-in desk to substantiate your right to enter the UK, but that’s unlikely to pass muster with airport staff. The renewal process is fairly straightforward. You can do it online at the gov.uk website. The cost is £94.50 ($190) for an adult, and £61.50 ($124) for a child. Irish citizens can renew their passport on the Department of Foreign Affairs Passport Online website at a cost of €75 ($131) for a standard 10-year Irish passport. Advertisement What about Australians with dual nationality who have never applied for a UK passport? If you were born in the UK, then you’re most likely a citizen. If you were not born in the UK and one or both your parents were UK citizens, you might also be a citizen. If you’re a citizen, under the new rules you’re going to need a UK passport to enter the country. For those born outside the UK to a British parent, when and to whom you were born determines your citizenship. If you were born on or after January 1, 1983, and your mother or father was a British citizen, it’s likely that you are automatically a British citizen. If you were born before January 1, 1983, and your father was British at the time, and married to your mother, you may automatically be a British citizen. If this applies, you do not need to go through an application process. You would only need to apply for a British passport to prove your citizenship. However, if you were born in Australia to a British parent and had never applied for a UK passport, would UK border control even know? For many Australians who are dual UK nationals, a UK passport might be an encumbrance rather than an asset (particularly since Brexit). In that case, it might be better to renounce your UK citizenship and a subset of the UK government’s citizenship website explains the process. Electronic processing is fast becoming a fact of travellers’ lives. For the countries using it, electronic passport scanning makes it easier to track who is entering their country. For the traveller, it means shorter queues and faster processing at border control. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. More: UK Opinion For subscribers Ireland Travel tips Britain Europe Michael Gebicki is a Sydney-based travel writer, best known for his Tripologist column published for more than 15 years in Traveller. With four decades of experience, his specialty is practical advice, destination insights and problem-solving for travellers. He also designs and leads slow, immersive tours to some of his favourite places. Connect via Instagram @michael_gebickiConnect via email.