UK Passport regulations for dual citizens. Credits: healthplanspain.com
UK citizens with an expired or lost British passport have found issues with the roll out of the new ETA system.
Starting Wednesday April 2 2025, all EU nationals – except for Irish nationals – need an ETA approval, or Electronic Travel Authorisation, to enter the United Kingdom. This restriction, previously applied to citizens from the United States, Canada and Australia, has caused some confusion among those who are British citizens who can’t access their passport at the moment.
But what exactly is this Electronic Travel Authorisation? In theory it is a fairly simple formality: travellers can obtain it directly from their phones, through the official mobile app “UK ETA”. Applicants will then have to answer a set of suitability questions, but travel details are not necessary.
After this process, which should be completed at least three business days before the trip, travellers can forget all about the ETA: it will automatically link to their passport, meaning that you won’t have to carry any additional documents with you apart from your identification (and boarding pass, of course)
So where is the confusion that some UK dual citizens are feeling coming from? For a UK citizen with dual Spanish citizenship, for example, whose passport is expired, lost, or was never issued one in the first place, it remains unclear how they should approach this otherwise straightforward process.
The ETA form’s wording on nationalities is confusing for some: it directly asks to declare any other nationalities, but doesn’t provide an option for British citizens in this menu. So if you’re presenting your other nationality, but indirectly concealing your British citizenship, you could be unwillingly being dishonest about your dual national status.
So, what to do? The Home Officer’s ETA advisor points to advising travellers to apply for their UK passport, or for a certificate of entitlement. But if your passport is expired and you’re planning a return home soon, you should be aware that this process can take several weeks.
Renewing a UK passport from outside the United Kingdom costs £101 (€123), and if that’s not a possibility, a certificate of entitlement can cost up to £550 (€658).
