Other similar cases recently included a young British woman trying to return from Spain and children coming back home from Denmark09:01, 16 Jul 2026A British teenage girl has missed on six weeks of school as she was stuck in Rome due to new passport rules.‌The 15-year-old, who had been in Italy to visit her grandmother, was refused boarding for her flight back home to the UK, due to a change in rules which requires dual nationals to have a British passport in order to return to the UK, the Guardian reports.‌Under said rules, dual British nationals must present either a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement, the latter of which costs £589 and evidences British citizenship in another passport.‌The requirement applies to all British citizens, regardless of their other nationality, with the approach already in place in countries like the United States, Canada and Australia.The girl's father, author Rowan Somerville, has now criticised the Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), saying his daughter's situation was bounced from one agency to another."They are playing with people’s lives," he said. "A child’s education. It is loathsome."‌The girl's school wrote to the two government departments to express their concerns about the teenager's "prolonged absence from education". Mr Somerville's MP, Joe Powell, MP for Kensington and Bayswater, also made representations to the Home Office.The parents were initially told a temporary passport could not be issued as the girl, who was 15 at the time, didn't have a British passport to begin with. The FCDO then eventually issued an emergency travel document and the girl was able to return home following the ordeal, which took place in April and May.The father now claims the changes were not properly communicated to the public when they were introduced. Mr Somerville said: "Thankfully, we were able to help and she’s now at home and back in school, but unfortunately this was not an isolated case, and it raises serious concerns about how government departments communicate policy changes once they’ve been introduced – and support those who have slipped through the net."‌The bureaucratic nightmare continued, however, as the process of getting a British passport for the girl took three months, despite passports usually being issued within three weeks. The Home Office states the process may take longer when more information is needed.The dad explained he spoke to more than a dozen different people during the process and said that, at one point, he was told by an official that they could no longer speak to him as his daughter had turned 16. Mr Somerville said: "This is the kind of general circumlocution that goes on, the sheer lack of intelligent use of manpower."They should be focusing on real cases, which need effort. The frontline customer staff are very kind. But it is not their fault they are impotent."‌Mr Somerville's daughter is just one of a number of British children and young adults who were hit by the new rule. Other cases included a young British woman who was returning to the UK from Spain and children returning from Denmark.A Home Office spokesperson told the Mirror: "This individual was granted an Emergency Travel Document in May, enabling them to return to the UK. We also remained in contact regarding a passport application, and once the required information was received and checks were concluded, a passport was issued within eight days."Since 25 February 2026, all dual British citizens have needed to present either a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement when travelling to the UK. Without one, carriers cannot verify British citizenship, which may lead to delays or refused boarding."Article continues belowThe Mirror has approached the FCDO for comment.