Home Office issues final ETA factsheet as 25 February enforcement date looms
Quarter-million Australian dual citizens could be refused entry under UK passport rule
M11 crash near Stansted closes motorway and snarls airport traffic
Latest News
Full enforcement of UK Electronic Travel Authorisation starts 25 February—no boarding without ETA
The Home Office confirmed that, from 25 February 2026, airlines must deny boarding to any traveller who needs—but has not obtained—an Electronic Travel Authorisation. The clamp-down removes previous discretion and affects dual nationals travelling without a valid UK or Irish passport. Employers have only days left to ensure mobile staff obtain ETAs or renew passports.
Home Office says expired UK passports ‘may’ prove citizenship—but airlines keep right to refuse carriage
The Home Office says expired British passports can theoretically evidence UK citizenship under the new digital border rules, but airlines are not obliged to accept them. The mismatch between policy and carrier practice leaves dual nationals at risk of denied boarding and forces corporates to review passport-validity data urgently.
Guardian case study exposes human impact of UK’s new passport-only rule for dual nationals
A Guardian report of a dual British-Dutch citizen barred from flying home to see her dying mother has put a human face on next week’s passport-only entry requirement. Politicians are calling for a grace period, while mobility teams are urged to verify that globally mobile staff hold valid UK passports well before travel.
Gatwick Airport rail shutdown after firearms arrest snarls air-rail connections
Emergency services halted all rail traffic through Gatwick Airport on 20 February after police arrested a passenger carrying imitation firearms. The one-hour shutdown caused significant delays for air passengers and highlighted vulnerabilities in the airport’s reliance on a single rail corridor.