UK entry rule creates costly hurdles for EU-based dual nationals
Our contributor, Emma Pouncey, tells us about her struggles of dealing with British passport bureaucracy and the logistical nightmare associated with being a dual national, which affects British dual nationals in any European country.
From February 2026, all British citizens must use a UK passport to enter the country. This regulatory shift is creating severe logistical and financial friction for thousands of dual nationals living across the EU.
The rule means individuals who have never held a British passport must now obtain one to visit their own country. For one 32-year-old Belgian-born dual national of British and Danish descent, the realization came when planning a trip to London. Despite being automatically British by birth, traveling to the UK is now demonstrably more difficult and expensive for her than for her French husband.
The bureaucratic requirements highlight the ongoing practical barriers to cross-border family mobility in Europe. First-time applicants must submit original birth certificates for themselves and both parents, alongside their parents' marriage certificate. Because these documents are not in English, certified translations are mandatory.
For families with ties spanning multiple EU states, the logistical chain is complex. This applicant's parents only possess one set of original documents, which are currently in Belgium. They must first be routed to Denmark before being sent to the UK. Her sister, who lives in Norway and faces the exact same requirements, must either coordinate a simultaneous application or wait for the documents to be returned.
The financial impact is substantial. A standard passport costs £116.50, but certified translations run £170 per document, and a courier fee adds £28.64. Navigating these minimum requirements costs £825.14.
An alternative exists, but offers little relief. A Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode, which links residency rights to a non-British passport, costs £589 before the required translations of three separate family documents, pushing the total well beyond £1,000.
The complications extend beyond money, creating uncertainty around future family travel. Children of British citizens born outside the UK do not automatically inherit the nationality, raising fears of difficult conversations at border control or denied boarding. For those affected, the calculus is stark. "do I go through with the application and accept the effort and costs associated with it?" the applicant asked. "Or do I wait out this regulation, as surely someone, somewhere must soon realise how outrageous it is?"
