Australian travellers who also hold British or Irish nationality have been caught in a last-minute passport scramble after the UK Home Office confirmed that, from 25 February 2026, its new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme will no longer accept dual nationals who try to board a flight with an Australian passport. Airlines will be required to verify that every passenger who claims a right of abode in the UK is holding the appropriate document—either a valid British/Irish passport or an Australian (or other) passport bearing a Certificate of Entitlement (COE). Airlines that carry non-compliant passengers face fines and the cost of returning them, so carriers are expected to adopt a “zero-tolerance” approach at check-in.(theguardian.com)
The change closes a long-standing loophole that allowed dual citizens to present whichever passport was most convenient. Because British and Irish nationals are exempt from the ETA, the UK government argues that they must prove that nationality before departure; otherwise, the ETA vetting process cannot be performed. The policy is part of the UK’s broader shift toward a fully digital border in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, mirroring Australia’s own move away from paper-based arrival cards.(theguardian.com)
Practical impacts are immediate. More than 80,000 Australian–British dual citizens visited the UK in 2025, according to UK Border Force data, and many relied on their Australian passports because their British documents had expired. A standard British passport now costs A$190 and takes up to 10 weeks; a COE costs A$1,182, requires the original passport to be mailed to the UK, and can take even longer. Emergency one-use travel documents are available but add further cost and complexity. Business-travel managers are advising staff with UK ties to check documentation now to avoid denied boarding in late February.(theguardian.com)
![UK ETA Rules Force Australian–British Dual Citizens to Travel on UK Passport]()
For travellers needing help navigating these new requirements, VisaHQ offers end-to-end assistance with British passport renewals, Certificates of Entitlement and other travel documents directly through its Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/). The service pairs online applications with expert support and real-time tracking, making it easier—and often faster—to secure the paperwork now essential for UK-bound dual citizens.
For mobility teams, the headline is compliance risk. Companies that routinely send dual-national employees to the UK will need to audit passport validity, update travel-booking profiles and brief travellers on the new rule. Travellers who discover the problem at the airport will almost certainly miss their flight because same-day ETA applications are not possible for British nationals. Airlines have begun updating their online check-in systems to block dual citizens who select “United Kingdom” as nationality but enter a non-UK passport number.(theguardian.com)
In the longer term, advisers expect other jurisdictions to copy the UK model. The EU’s own ETIAS system will launch for visa-waiver nationals in 2026, and Canada is piloting similar dual-passport enforcement for ETA-exempt citizens. If that trend continues, Australian mobility stakeholders will need to maintain multiple-passport workflows and keep tighter records of employees’ citizenship status. For now, the message is simple: dual citizens should renew their British passport—or face paying four-figure fees and potential trip disruption.(theguardian.com)
The change closes a long-standing loophole that allowed dual citizens to present whichever passport was most convenient. Because British and Irish nationals are exempt from the ETA, the UK government argues that they must prove that nationality before departure; otherwise, the ETA vetting process cannot be performed. The policy is part of the UK’s broader shift toward a fully digital border in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, mirroring Australia’s own move away from paper-based arrival cards.(theguardian.com)
Practical impacts are immediate. More than 80,000 Australian–British dual citizens visited the UK in 2025, according to UK Border Force data, and many relied on their Australian passports because their British documents had expired. A standard British passport now costs A$190 and takes up to 10 weeks; a COE costs A$1,182, requires the original passport to be mailed to the UK, and can take even longer. Emergency one-use travel documents are available but add further cost and complexity. Business-travel managers are advising staff with UK ties to check documentation now to avoid denied boarding in late February.(theguardian.com)
For travellers needing help navigating these new requirements, VisaHQ offers end-to-end assistance with British passport renewals, Certificates of Entitlement and other travel documents directly through its Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/). The service pairs online applications with expert support and real-time tracking, making it easier—and often faster—to secure the paperwork now essential for UK-bound dual citizens.
For mobility teams, the headline is compliance risk. Companies that routinely send dual-national employees to the UK will need to audit passport validity, update travel-booking profiles and brief travellers on the new rule. Travellers who discover the problem at the airport will almost certainly miss their flight because same-day ETA applications are not possible for British nationals. Airlines have begun updating their online check-in systems to block dual citizens who select “United Kingdom” as nationality but enter a non-UK passport number.(theguardian.com)
In the longer term, advisers expect other jurisdictions to copy the UK model. The EU’s own ETIAS system will launch for visa-waiver nationals in 2026, and Canada is piloting similar dual-passport enforcement for ETA-exempt citizens. If that trend continues, Australian mobility stakeholders will need to maintain multiple-passport workflows and keep tighter records of employees’ citizenship status. For now, the message is simple: dual citizens should renew their British passport—or face paying four-figure fees and potential trip disruption.(theguardian.com)
