In its 19 February weekly bulletin, Crown World Mobility reiterated that British dual nationals travelling on non-UK passports will face full ETA enforcement from 25 February. While the rule has existed for months, the Home Office had quietly allowed carriers a discretion period to accommodate travellers during system bedding-in. That window is now closed.
Crown notes that dual nationals caught unaware could be denied boarding with no recourse to port-of-entry resolution. The firm advises companies to run emergency communications to staff travelling on Australian, Canadian or EU passports who may not realise they must (a) obtain an ETA, or (b) travel on a valid British passport. It also recommends updating corporate booking tools so that an ETA field is mandatory for all non-British passport holders.
The advisory highlights a grey area for commuters between Dublin and London, where the Common Travel Area traditionally allowed flexible documentation. Airlines have told Crown they will treat Irish passport holders as ETA-exempt regardless of dual nationality, but any dual citizen presenting an Australian or U.S. passport will be flagged.
![Corporate advisory warns of ‘zero-tolerance’ ETA checks for British dual citizens from next week]()
Travellers looking for a straightforward way to obtain an ETA—or any other UK travel document—can save time by using VisaHQ’s digital application service. The company’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) guides applicants through each step, offers real-time status tracking, and gives mobility managers a central dashboard to monitor compliance across their workforce.
The bulletin further warns that Certificate of Entitlement processing times average eight weeks outside the UK, making it an impractical workaround for most business travellers.
Finally, Crown suggests adding ETA compliance to pre-trip authorisation workflows and travel-risk dashboards, as immigration disruption is now rated a ‘medium’ probability event for Q1-Q2 2026.
Crown notes that dual nationals caught unaware could be denied boarding with no recourse to port-of-entry resolution. The firm advises companies to run emergency communications to staff travelling on Australian, Canadian or EU passports who may not realise they must (a) obtain an ETA, or (b) travel on a valid British passport. It also recommends updating corporate booking tools so that an ETA field is mandatory for all non-British passport holders.
The advisory highlights a grey area for commuters between Dublin and London, where the Common Travel Area traditionally allowed flexible documentation. Airlines have told Crown they will treat Irish passport holders as ETA-exempt regardless of dual nationality, but any dual citizen presenting an Australian or U.S. passport will be flagged.
Travellers looking for a straightforward way to obtain an ETA—or any other UK travel document—can save time by using VisaHQ’s digital application service. The company’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) guides applicants through each step, offers real-time status tracking, and gives mobility managers a central dashboard to monitor compliance across their workforce.
The bulletin further warns that Certificate of Entitlement processing times average eight weeks outside the UK, making it an impractical workaround for most business travellers.
Finally, Crown suggests adding ETA compliance to pre-trip authorisation workflows and travel-risk dashboards, as immigration disruption is now rated a ‘medium’ probability event for Q1-Q2 2026.
