15/01/2026
Please take note of these changes if you are planning to travel to the UK
ALL UK/IRISH PASSPORTS Please see update from home office.
"Thanks for contacting the Home Office, I will address your points in turn.
1. British dual nationals
Our current guidance on dual nationals is as follows:
• British and Irish citizens, including those with another nationality, are not eligible for an ETA, regardless of whether their other nationality would typically qualify.
• From 25th February 2026 they must have a valid British or Irish passport, or their other valid passport containing a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode and be prepared to show it. This will ensure a smooth travel experience and avoid such complications when travelling to the UK.
During the ETA rollout, the UK government took a pragmatic approach to ensure that people could still travel to the UK without hinderance. Currently we are allowing carriers to board dual nationals, so long as they have a valid passport for their other nationality, this will cease on the 25th February.
If a dual British and ETA eligible national (i.e. Australian) has an ETA linked to their Australian passport then this ETA will still be valid on 25th February. However, as mentioned in the guidance – British nationals must travel on a valid British passport, or obtain a Certificate of Entitlement in their “other” (i.e. Australian) passport when travelling to the UK.
2. Children born in Australia to British Parents
In the guidance you have provided it states that:
From 1 January 1983 – 30 June 2006
You’re automatically a British citizen if you were born outside the UK and all of the following apply:
• you were born between 1 January 1983 and 30 June 2006
• your mother or father was a British citizen when you were born (they must have been married if your father had British citizenship but your mother did not)
From 1 July 2006
You’re automatically a British citizen if you were born outside the UK and all of the following apply:
• you were born on or after 1 July 2006
• your mother or father was a British citizen when you were born
Therefore a child born to British parents ( i.e. mother) , during this period, would automatically be deemed British and therefore could apply for a British passport overseas. We would not be able to comment on individual cases, but, would advise affected individuals to consult the relevant guidance or engage FCDO before making decisions to apply for British passports.
3. Dual Irish-Australian
Our current guidance on dual nationals is as follows:
• British and Irish citizens, including those with another nationality, are not eligible for an ETA, regardless of whether their other nationality would typically qualify.
• From 25th February 2026 they must have a valid British or Irish passport, or their other valid passport containing a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode and be prepared to show it. This will ensure a smooth travel experience and avoid such complications when travelling to the UK.
• We would advise that Irish-Australian national obtain an Irish passport to travel to the UK to ensure a smooth travel experience.
• When travelling around the Common Travel Area the normal rules related to British and Irish travelling freely still apply. While travelling in the CTA an Irish passport can be used to travel from Ireland to the UK. Guidance on travelling around the CTA can be found here: Common Travel Area guidance - GOV.UK and Travelling to the UK from Ireland, Isle of Man, Guernsey or Jersey - GOV.UK
4. Compassionate and Emergency travel
We understand that there may be times when travellers need to come to the UK for compelling and compassionate circumstances – particularly dual nationals who may have family members who reside in the UK. As you noted, applying for a British passport overseas can take an extended period of time. We would advise dual nationals use this interim period before enforcement to secure British passports to ensure smooth travel to the UK – particularly in the event of an emergency.
1. Airline enforcement
I can confirm that airlines were made aware of enforcement of ETAs and our carrier engagement team have been working closely with carriers to ensure preparedness for enforcement on the 25th February. The carrier team have a close relationship with Titmatic to ensure boarding rules are ready to coincide with when ETA is enforced on 25th February.
As mentioned, the UK government has taken a pragmatic approach to the ETA rollout to ensure minimal disruption and this has been beneficial to raise awareness of the product and push compliance. As we are now moving closer to enforcement, we have detailed our call-to-action messaging to ensure that affected groups, including dual nationals, are taking the necessary action to ensure they can continue to travel smoothly to the UK."
So In short if you are UK or Irish get valid passports. If you have parents/sisters/brother etc in the UK, get a valid passport.
Smart traveller have also updated after I made them aware of the situation,
Thanks Jennie
British Travel
