The Home Office has issued travel guidance to more than a million British citizens ahead of a major change to entry requirements taking effect in just a few days. Statistics show that in 2021, 1.26 million residents in England and Wales held multiple passports, which is double the number recorded a decade earlier in 2011. Dual citizenship is allowed in the UK and does not need to be applied for. All British citizens have the right to abode in the UK, meaning they are allowed to live or work in the UK without immigration restrictions. 

Previously, British dual nationals whose other nationality is for a ‘non-visa national country’ (meaning, one which isn’t subject to a UK visit visa requirement) could travel to the UK using their foreign passport without a Certificate of Entitlement. They risked being delayed at UK passport control while Border Force staff confirmed their right of abode in the UK, though this was less likely if they passed through an automated passport gate.

However, from February 25, 2026, all dual British citizens will need to present either a valid British passport or a Certificate of Entitlement to enter the UK. The UK Government has warned that if dual citizens do not travel with a valid UK or Irish passport or certificate of entitlement, they may not be able to board transport to the UK.

This change comes following the introduction of the ETA requirement, an electronic travel authorisation requirement, which means that it is now more difficult for people with dual citizenship for the UK and a ‘non-visa national country’ to use their foreign passport to travel to the UK.   

In the Home Office’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) factsheet last updated in January, the governement states that dual citizens with British or Irish citizenship are exempt from needing an ETA but that dual British citizens must have a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement to the right to abode when travelling to the UK. 

Its advice reads: “We strongly advise dual British citizens to make sure they have a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement, to avoid problems like being denied boarding when travelling to the UK from 25 February 2026.

“From 25 February 2026, dual British citizens who cannot produce a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement will need to have additional identity checks and will not be able to go through UK passport control until their British nationality is verified.”

Certificates of Entitlement are moving from physical vignette stickers in passports to digital versions. Any certificate set to expire on or after February 26 will automatically be linked to a new passport at no additional cost. These certificates serve as proof of a person’s right of abode in the UK and must be carried in a passport. A new certificate must be obtained whenever a passport expires.

The application process differs depending on whether you are inside or outside the UK. However, you cannot apply for a certificate if you already hold a valid British passport or an existing Certificate of Entitlement in another foreign passport. In the UK, the cost of a certificate is £589.

For further information, people are being advised to visit the government website. 

Travel expert and correspondent Simon Calder has urged dual citizens to act fast before the “very significant” change to passport rules comes into effect.  

In a video shared by The Independent, he explained: “At the moment, suppose you are a British citizen, but you choose to live abroad. You’ve got a foreign passport. You’re perfectly entitled with that passport to come and go from the UK on short stays to see family, to be a tourist, or to go on a business trip. But from the 25th of February, that will all change.”

“From that date, everybody who is not British or Irish has to have an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to come to the UK. And you might think, ‘Well, that’s alright, I’ve got a French, or an American, or an Australian passport; I’ll just get my ETA through that’. But not so fast.”

“The British government says that if you have British citizenship which might be because you were born here but you then moved abroad, or because you got it through descendancy then you have to have one of two things in order to travel legally to the UK: Ideally, it will be a British passport. If you don’t have one of those, well, I suggest you get one quickly.”

The other option is the certificate of entitlement to the right of abode, but this will cost you almost £600, and will run out when your foreign passport expires. He said: “Then I urge you to try to get a British passport if you’re planning to travel to the UK anytime soon.”

He advised that the best way to proceed when you’re travelling from a different country is to present your UK passport when you arrive in the UK and then use your foreign passport when you’re travelling back, so you don’t need the ETIAS.