Travelling to the United Kingdom will become more complex for thousands of Australians who hold British dual citizenship, following changes to how the UK enforces its border entry rules.
Until now, Australians with British or Irish citizenship have been able to use either passport when travelling to the UK. From next month, however, dual citizens will be required to travel using their British passport, or risk being denied boarding.
The move means any dual citizen residing in Australia who has let their UK passport lapse must get it renewed prior to departure or obtain a ‘Certificate of Entitlement’ to live in the UK, which will be inserted into their Australian passport.
The change is linked to the UK government’s expanding electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system, which introduces stricter pre-departure checks for travellers from visa-exempt countries.
Under UK law, people with British or Irish citizenship have an automatic right to enter, live and work in the UK and do not require immigration clearance.
For years, this meant dual citizens from countries such as Australia and New Zealand could travel using their non-British passport. That will change from 25 February, when the UK Home Office begins enforcing checks tied to the ETA system.
The ETA, which has been rolled out in stages since 2023, is a digital screening process for visitors who do not need a visa to enter the UK. British and Irish citizens are not eligible for an ETA as they don’t need one.
British dual citizens now have three ways to enter the UK: present a valid British passport or show a certificate of entitlement of the right of abode or renounce their British citizenship entirely and travel on an Australian passport with an ETA.
Cost may be a key factor for many travellers. A certificate of entitlement costs $1,182, compared with AUD$190 for a standard adult British passport.
Those who need to travel urgently before 24 February, when enforcement begins, may still be able to fly using an emergency travel document, provided they also hold a valid passport from an ETA-eligible country.
While there is no official figure for how many Australian-British dual citizens live in Australia, the changes are estimated to affect tens of thousands of people.
Department of Home Affairs figures show 12,674 people from the UK became Australian citizens last year. Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicates there are 964,000 people born in England living in Australia, although that number includes temporary visa holders.
Australian citizens without British or Irish citizenship will also be affected by the ETA system when travelling to the UK for holidays or work.
Travellers must apply for the permit online or via an app before departure. The ETA costs £10, or about $21 AUD, is valid for two years and allows as many trips to the UK in that time as the holder wishes to take, with each stay capped at six months per visit. Applications should be lodged at least three days before travel.
Passengers transiting through the UK are also required to hold an ETA, even if they do not pass through border control.
A House of Commons research briefing explained that airlines may not be able to identify British dual nationals if they book flights using only their non-British passport.
“There isn’t a specific legal requirement for British citizens to travel on a British passport,” the briefing read. “But in practice, pre-departure checks for UK-bound travellers make it difficult to travel to the UK without one.”
The briefing also warned that “people who can’t provide satisfactory evidence of their eligibility to come to the UK may be denied boarding, due to transport operators’ concerns about being fined for bringing inadequately documented passengers to the UK”.
Airlines are required to check whether passengers have obtained an ETA before allowing them to board their flight.
According to the briefing, British dual citizens have been advised for “many months” to travel using their British passport, but the “transitional arrangements would end in early 2026”.