British dual nationals may be able to board Ryanair flights in Europe to the UK even if they do not have a current British passport when new immigration rules come into force next week, the airline has said.
The clarification comes as Abta, the trade organisation for tour operators and travel agents in the UK, called on the government to introduce a grace period during which British citizens with dual nationality can board flights back to the UK with alternative proof of being British.
“While the government’s advice for UK citizens is to either get a passport or certificate of entitlement for travel beyond 25 February, it is clear there will need to be a period during which carriers must allow people to board with alternative proof,” said Luke Petherbridge, Abta’s director of public affairs.
The controversy over the new immigration rules has grown over the past week as thousands of British nationals with dual citizenship learned for the first time that new Home Office rules required they present their British passport instead of the other national passports they carry, when they travel to the UK.
The only alternative offered by the government is a “certificate of entitlement” which would take weeks to obtain and costs £589 per person, meaning a family of four could have to pay almost £2,400 for a trip to the UK.
The development will come as relief to many Britons living in Europe panicked by new Home Office rules whichthat require dual nationals to show a British passport or a certificate of entitlement to board a flight to the UK as part of a streamlining of border operations coming into force on 25 February.
Hundreds of dual nationals are unhappy at the introduction of the new rules, having spent, in some cases, decades able to travel to the UK to visit family on their other passport, with many having complained about how it has been handled by the Home Office.
Other foreign nationals can enter the country with an “electronic travel authorisation” (ETA) costing just £16 but dual nationals are not eligible for this.
When asked if it would allow those with foreign passports without ETAs to board if they could show another document to show they were British,Ryanair said: “Yes, we will allow a passenger to board a flight to the UK if we are satisfied that the passenger is a British national, an Irish national or is in possession of any other status in the UK, including passengers who hold an old stamp/vignette with indefinite leave to remain.”
Ryanair added that “a valid or expired British passport” and a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode were acceptable proof of being British. It said that from 25 February “airlines are required to check that passengers of non-visa countries eligible for ETA have one. If passengers do not have an ETA, we are required to check any other document that may allow them to enter the UK.”
Petherbridge said there was “considerable confusion and uncertainty around the new rules” especially for those on holidays in the coming weeks.
Many dual nationals have complained that they were not given enough notice to renew expired British passports or get new documents for children born abroad.
Airlines can be fined if they accept passengers who have no right to be in the UK and the Home Office statement on the new rules makes it clear passengers could be refused boarding if they do not present a passport or certificate of entitlement, a digital stamp costing £589 that can be linked to a dual national’s foreign passport.
It said: “From 25 February 2026, all dual British citizens will need to present either a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement when travelling to the UK. Without one carriers cannot verify they are a British citizen, which may lead to delays or refused boarding.”
A House of Commons briefing paper in January on the change in rules states that a British citizen cannot be refused entry to the UK but also says they have to prove their right to enter. It says: “All British citizens have the right of abode in the UK (meaning, the entitlement to live or work in the UK without any immigration restrictions). This makes them exempt from immigration control. They don’t need an immigration officer’s permission to enter the UK, but they must be able to demonstrate that they have the right of abode.”
One man in Canada who wrote to the Guardian said he had brought forward his flight to 23 February to make sure he could enter the UK because he wanted to visit his brother who had a brain tumour and was dying. “I didn’t want to miss his birthday on 12 March. It is completely absurd that dual nationals like myself should be ruled ineligible to enter the UK as tourists without an ETA. I suppose that you have to have a curious Whitehall mentality to think a British citizen must enter the UK as a British citizen and nothing less,” said James (whose name has been changed).
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
