Some say they may stop visiting or even renounce their British citizenship owing to stricter requirements
British dual nationals living abroad have told of their disgust, fury and distress over new UK border rules that mean they could risk be denied boarding on a flight, ferry or train.
The new rules, which come into force on 25 February, have caught many by surprise and require British dual nationals to present a British passport or a “certificate of entitlement”, which costs £589, to visit the UK on their non-British passport.
The changes will affect up to 1.2 million people who have moved abroad. Some have said the only option they now have is to renounce their British citizenship. Here are some Guardian readers’ stories.
Sandra, 78, a former civil servant, has lived in Australia for the past 50 years. She has always used her Australian passport to travel and recently discovered that will no longer work in the UK. But she has faced a mountain of paperwork to prove she is British. She has been told to apply as a first-timer as she has not held a British passport since the 1980s, and has been asked for her long birth certificate, and her full marriage certificate which she says her deceased ex-husband held on to. “I’m 78 and all this bullshit for one last trip home is ridiculous. I am disgusted,” she said.
