Dual Nationals Told to Pick a Country at the Border, Given 30 Seconds

Travellers holding dual nationality have been met with confusion, delays, and what one passenger described as “a quiz show atmosphere” at UK airports this week, after new passport regulations required them to present a British passport upon entry — a rule that many did not know about, several could not comply with, and one man in Stansted called “an absolute wind-up.”

The changes, introduced with minimal notice and maximum administrative chaos, have prompted calls from the Liberal Democrats for a “grace period,” from airlines for “literally any guidance at all,” and from one Border Force officer for “a lie-down.”

The System

Under the new rules, dual nationals entering the UK must present a British passport. Those arriving on a foreign passport — even one from a country with which Britain has warm diplomatic relations — are being directed to a secondary processing area that staff have unofficially nicknamed “the loyalty round.”

In this area, passengers are asked to confirm their British nationality, explain why they did not present a British passport, and in some cases, answer supplementary questions that one traveller said “felt less like border control and more like Pointless.”

“The officer asked me where I was born, where I pay tax, and which country I would support in a hypothetical cricket match. I said I was born in Athens and don”t follow cricket. He wrote something down and sighed.” — Dual Greek-British national, Gatwick

The Confusion

Airlines have responded to the new rules with varying degrees of compliance. Ryanair initially refused to board dual nationals without a British passport, then reversed the policy, then reversed the reversal, then issued a statement saying it was “reviewing its position,” which industry sources say is Ryanair for “we also don”t know.”

EasyJet has introduced a temporary measure allowing dual nationals to board with a statutory declaration of Britishness, which must be signed, dated, and accompanied by “at least one piece of anecdotal evidence,” such as a strong opinion about the correct way to make tea.

British Airways has not changed its procedures but has asked cabin crew to “use their judgement,” a phrase that BA”s own union described as “terrifying.”

The Queue

The practical effect of the new system has been a secondary queue at passport control that, at Heathrow Terminal 5, stretched to ninety minutes on Tuesday morning and included, at various points:

• A woman with British and Canadian passports who had left her British one at home because “it”s the ugly one”
• A man with British and Irish passports who said he “genuinely couldn”t remember” which one he used to book the flight
• A family of four with British and Portuguese citizenship who had been directed to the secondary area, the primary area, and then back to the secondary area, and had now “lost the will to declare anything”
• A teenager with a British passport in her bag who was sent to the queue anyway because the e-gate rejected her photo, “apparently because I was smiling, which is not allowed”

“I have been British for forty-one years. I have a mortgage in Croydon. I am literally wearing an M&S coat. What further evidence do you need.” — Dual South African-British national, Heathrow

The Government Response

A Home Office spokesperson said the new rules were “designed to strengthen border integrity and ensure a smooth transition to digital travel credentials,” a sentence that took longer to read than the grace period the government has offered, which is zero days.

When asked why the changes were introduced without a public awareness campaign, the spokesperson said there had been “guidance published on GOV.UK,” which, when checked, turned out to be a twelve-page PDF uploaded at 11pm on a Friday, formatted in a font size that suggested it was not intended to be read.

The Liberal Democrats have called for a sixty-day grace period. The Conservatives have called the rollout “shambolic.” Reform UK has called for all passports to be British. The SNP has asked whether Scotland could issue its own. No one has asked the passengers.

The Data

Internal Border Force figures leaked to Pribber show the scale of the disruption:

• Passengers directed to secondary processing on day one: 4,200
• Passengers who had a British passport but in checked luggage: 310
• Passengers who had a British passport at home: 1,740
• Passengers who said “I didn”t know about this”: 3,980
• Passengers who said “this is ridiculous”: 4,200
• Border Force staff who agreed: Redacted

What Happens Next

The government has said it will “monitor the situation” and “consider adjustments if necessary,” which in Whitehall terminology means the policy will remain unchanged until it appears on the front page of the Daily Mail, at which point it will be reversed and described as having been “always intended as a phased approach.”

In the meantime, dual nationals are advised to carry both passports, arrive three hours early, and bring “a book, a snack, and the emotional resilience of someone who has been through the British immigration system before.”

Your correspondent holds one passport and still cannot get through an e-gate. This is not a border security issue. It is a face issue.