Campaigners and immigration lawyers are warning that a last-minute change to UK border policy, due to be enforced from 25 February 2026, risks catching thousands of British dual-national travellers unawares and could disproportionately penalise women.
Under the regulations, dual British citizens will be refused boarding for any flight, ferry or international rail service to the UK unless they can present either a valid British passport or a £589 ‘certificate of entitlement’ to the right of abode stuck into their other passport. The Home Office says the policy is designed to dovetail with the wider Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) programme that becomes mandatory for all non-visa nationals on the same date, giving carriers a binary “permission/no-permission” data point before travellers set off.
Women’s groups argue that the rules overlook global naming conventions. In countries such as Greece, married women must keep their maiden name for life, while Spanish passports routinely show both paternal and maternal surnames. As a result, many naturalised Britons who subsequently marry abroad or whose birth certificates list multiple surnames hold non-UK passports that do not exactly match the single-surname format on their British passport. The campaign coalition, which includes BritCits, the3million and groups representing UK nationals in Greece and Spain, says that name mismatches now force affected women either to pay for an additional British passport—currently £104 for adults overseas—or to purchase the costly certificate of entitlement.
![Campaigners say new UK border rules for dual nationals discriminate against women]()
Beyond the gender dimension, critics highlight a communications failure. Although carriers will begin hard enforcement in nine days, the change has to date only featured in an obscure update to Home Office carrier guidance and a short press notice on GOV.UK. No direct email alerts have been sent to Britons registered with UK consulates overseas, and many expatriates discovered the rule only after media coverage this weekend. Travel agents report a surge in calls from families worried about children born abroad who have British entitlement but have never held a UK passport.
For travellers who are uncertain about whether they fall within the scope of the new rules, specialist agencies such as VisaHQ can provide step-by-step guidance. Through its United Kingdom portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/), the firm offers document checks, application support for certificates of entitlement or emergency passport renewals, and timely alerts on Home Office updates—services that can spare dual citizens costly last-minute surprises.
Practically, employers with globally mobile staff will need to build a passport-audit step into pre-trip checks and consider reimbursing employees for emergency passport renewals. Global mobility managers should also brief relocation providers on the certificate-of-entitlement process, which currently takes up to eight weeks at some posts. Campaigners are lobbying for a grace period, but the Home Office on Sunday reiterated that “dual nationals have had ample time to regularise their documents” and that no deferral is planned.
Under the regulations, dual British citizens will be refused boarding for any flight, ferry or international rail service to the UK unless they can present either a valid British passport or a £589 ‘certificate of entitlement’ to the right of abode stuck into their other passport. The Home Office says the policy is designed to dovetail with the wider Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) programme that becomes mandatory for all non-visa nationals on the same date, giving carriers a binary “permission/no-permission” data point before travellers set off.
Women’s groups argue that the rules overlook global naming conventions. In countries such as Greece, married women must keep their maiden name for life, while Spanish passports routinely show both paternal and maternal surnames. As a result, many naturalised Britons who subsequently marry abroad or whose birth certificates list multiple surnames hold non-UK passports that do not exactly match the single-surname format on their British passport. The campaign coalition, which includes BritCits, the3million and groups representing UK nationals in Greece and Spain, says that name mismatches now force affected women either to pay for an additional British passport—currently £104 for adults overseas—or to purchase the costly certificate of entitlement.
Beyond the gender dimension, critics highlight a communications failure. Although carriers will begin hard enforcement in nine days, the change has to date only featured in an obscure update to Home Office carrier guidance and a short press notice on GOV.UK. No direct email alerts have been sent to Britons registered with UK consulates overseas, and many expatriates discovered the rule only after media coverage this weekend. Travel agents report a surge in calls from families worried about children born abroad who have British entitlement but have never held a UK passport.
For travellers who are uncertain about whether they fall within the scope of the new rules, specialist agencies such as VisaHQ can provide step-by-step guidance. Through its United Kingdom portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/), the firm offers document checks, application support for certificates of entitlement or emergency passport renewals, and timely alerts on Home Office updates—services that can spare dual citizens costly last-minute surprises.
Practically, employers with globally mobile staff will need to build a passport-audit step into pre-trip checks and consider reimbursing employees for emergency passport renewals. Global mobility managers should also brief relocation providers on the certificate-of-entitlement process, which currently takes up to eight weeks at some posts. Campaigners are lobbying for a grace period, but the Home Office on Sunday reiterated that “dual nationals have had ample time to regularise their documents” and that no deferral is planned.
