UK passport rule forces British dual nationals to reapply for entry documents

A new UK entry rule, effective February 2026, requires all British citizens to travel to the United Kingdom using a British passport. The change has created significant hurdles for dual‑national citizens who previously entered on foreign passports.

One contributor, born in Belgium to a British father and a Danish mother, discovered that despite automatic British citizenship for those born between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000 to a British parent, she must now obtain a UK passport. The application demands original copies of her birth certificate, her Danish passport pages, her parents’ birth certificates and marriage certificate, and cannot be completed with photocopies. The process has been described as a logistical nightmare, especially compared with her French husband’s easier access.

The stricter documentation requirement highlights the broader impact of the rule on dual nationals who must navigate additional bureaucracy to enter their own country.