Entering the UK- or going to happen now

nanna8

Bluebelle you are wrong, we contacted the official British passport office and I am right as from end of Feb 2026. I don’t expect an apology.

A UK tourist ETA costs £10 and lasts 2 yrs, if you are not eligible for that its £100 I cant understand why a passport is needed.

My sister is a Australian citizen and just gets a ETA when she visits, I get an ETA to visit her

I have a son in Australia but he shows no desire to want to visit the UK. Didn’t even return when his dad had a massive stroke. So he probably won’t be too bothered by this. And if we ever see the GCs we would need to travel there which is impossible with DHs disabilities.
But, yes, it does sound punitive nanna8. A money grabbing exercise no doubt.😔

Bigred18

Some of you are a little rude. If you have an Australian passport but born in UK then you must enter UK on British passport. If you don't have one, you can't enter UK and will need to apply for one, or denounce your British citizenship. I have both passports so am able to travel. Some people here have had to cancel travel plans because of the new rule.

Very rude I would say, and without any real knowledge of the situation too.
I agree nana8 that it’s a ridiculous, money grabbing and unfair situation for any British born person and relatives to have to do that for a visit here.

Or give up his right of Abode in the UK presumably, Smileless2012?

I've just looked this up and the UK charges £372 to renounce British citizenship the USA currently charges $2,350

​The reality is that the "Digital Border" is the standard around the world now and even the EU is having it fully operational before the end of the year.
Every major international flight now begins with a computer checking for a digital "permission to travel" record linked to your passport number.

There is another option which involves a passport stamp/sticker but I understand it's more expensive than a second passport.
It's called a Certificate of Entitlement and proves your "Right of Abode" in the UK.

Yes you are right nanna. DS has lived in Aus. for almost 13 years and is now an Australian citizen. His UK passport has expired and he will need to get another one in order to return here.

Horrible nasty people? Who are?

Some of you are a little rude. If you have an Australian passport but born in UK then you must enter UK on British passport. If you don't have one, you can't enter UK and will need to apply for one, or denounce your British citizenship. I have both passports so am able to travel. Some people here have had to cancel travel plans because of the new rule.

Do you really think we would care if it was only 16 quid ? Hundreds of dollars even if prepared to wait.

Bluebelle you are wrong, we contacted the official British passport office and I am right as from end of Feb 2026. I don’t expect an apology.

I don’t want a British passport but they will not let me enter the UK without one. My granddaughters also have to show a British passport because their mother is British born. They don’t want a British passport,either but they want to go on holiday there. What sort of a country does that sort of money grabbing act? I am furious and I think I will tell them to go straight to Europe and avoid the UK. They have never been there before, very sad that young people have to fork out hundreds of dollars for nothing.Passports are not cheap. Further to the insult, a friend who is going over for a parent’s funeral in Scotland and was born there has to show a UK passport. It is costing $800 and he can’t afford that. Horrible nasty people.

Looking into all these answers prompted me to look into my 'settled status' proof. It's a few years since I organized this.
Warning! Settled status and proof of.. exists totally and only online!
That explains why I could not locate my official document in my files, only a copy!!
So now i need to go into my gov.uk account to check what email and what tel number I used and/or update...which is a legal requirement apparently.
And which i need to travel in and out of the UK without major hassle..

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I don’t know why you are so angry or even surprised. This is the situation the other way round

UK citizens traveling to Australia for tourism or business (up to 3 months) must obtain an electronic visa, typically the free eVisitor (subclass 651) or the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) (subclass 601) via the app. Applications are made online or via app, usually requiring no embassy visit. Other options include Working Holiday visas (subclass 417) for ages 18–35

This seems to be the situation for other nationalities visiting the UK
Visitors from other countries to the UK generally require a "Standard Visitor visa" for stays up to 6 months, costing £127, applied for online up to 3 months before travel. Many nationalities may instead need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) (£16) for short visits. Requirements vary by nationality; check eligibility via GOV.UK

Presumably you CHOSE to become an Australian citizen.

I don’t understand the fuss. An ETA to enter the UK is £16 for 2 years. An ETA to get into Australia is £12 a year so pretty much the same.
Personally I would never have given up my British passport.

You'd have to be very quick to organise your small boat in Calais because your Australian passport would only give you 90 days to stay and get sorted! You may find there's a long waiting list for a passage across the Channel! I can recommend Decathlon in France for waterproofs and life jackets. There's bound to be a branch in Calais.

DD who is married to an Australian and has citizenship there has always retained a UK passport as well as her Aussie one.

Her 3 children have dual nationality and have had a British passport as well as an Aussie one since they were 18.

If ever they all came here on holiday, it would just be her DH who would need an ETA then, the same as if we went there.

Perhaps Nanna should have retained a UK passport also?

Having just had a look I may have been told the wrong price as according to ‘chat’ and ‘google’ it’s cheaper to get an ETA than a British passport
“An ETA currently costs £16 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years or until the holder's passport expires – whichever is sooner. Other application services may charge a higher fee than the UK Government.”

lamedos13 my understanding is that you need one or the other you cannot travel on your Canadian passport alone, you either have a Canadian plus British passport or you have the new ETA
My son is in this position as he has lived in NZ nearly 30 years
Renewing his British passport is cheaper than getting an ETA and probably a lot less trouble
It’s not a new rule completely jacky UK has just caught up with the rest of the world it seems, so it’s new for us. My understanding is it’s similar to the modern equivalent of a visa
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When I travel to the UK I show the German passport on passing through passport control in Germany and the UK one at passport control at the UK end of the journey.

Many people have two passports my daughter got her children their Irish passport (their Dad was Irish) through leaving the EU and they use it the same as you, another grandchild has a Belgium and British passport.
It’s not easy, bit of a minefield

So the problem is: if you have the right to a UK passport but choose to travel (i.e. enter the UK) on another passport, you are breaking some new rule.

What I don't understand is, how do they know that you have a right to the UK passport???

I hurried, like hundreds of other Brits living in Germany, to get a German passport before the UK left the EU because according to German law, you can only have dual citizenship if the second passport is also EU. Shortly after, they changed the law and now anyone can have dual citizenship. DOH!

When I travel to the UK I show the German passport on passing through passport control in Germany and the UK one at passport control at the UK end of the journey.

I am a Canadian citizen and travel to the UK on my Canadian passport. I was born in the UK. I know we are required to apply for an ETA.(electronic travel authorization ). But does anyone know if I also need a British passport as well as my Canadian passport? I keep getting different information.One report says the ETA is enough if I am entering the country for a short time as a visitor which I will be but then I read something else that says I must renew the British passport. Any information greatly appreciated,thank you.

It is the same for our son. He has Spanish nationality and has to renew his UK passport before he can visit.

My son in the US has always had both US and UK passports since he became an American citizen. The cost of a British passport is about a tenner a year, one hundredth of the cost of a return flight at the moment. That seems a bargain, to me.

It is changing end of Feb rafiagran It’s basically equivalent of a visa to now get into Uk wherever you are from or born

If you really want to come to the UK, you need to pay for the passport if you can afford the fare here plus insurance you can afford the passport.
To be fair I dud not know the rules had changed.