20 hours ago
15
Sarah Rodgers
Sarah and Philipp Rodgers were told they could not board a flight with their baby, Lily
A family from Aberdeenshire was refused entry to the UK while trying to return from a holiday in Alicante because their baby did not have the correct passport after a change in the rules for dual nationals.
Eleven-month-old Lily Rodgers was born in Scotland but has an Austrian passport, which is the nationality of her father, Philipp, 34.
Under previous rules that were overhauled in February, a British dual national could travel to the UK using their foreign passport.
Lily's mother, Sarah Rodgers, 30, said they could now face a wait of several months while they wait for Lily's British passport application to be approved.
Sarah said that Lily's Austrian passport states she was born in Britain, and that she also offered to show her birth certificate as proof - but was told this wouldn't be sufficient.
The couple, who live in Ellon and are also parents to three-year-old Heidi, had already had their luggage loaded onto the plane and it was only when boarding the plane that the problem was flagged.
Sarah said: "They were talking to each other in Spanish and when they told us we couldn't board we thought it must have been a system failure."
Sarah Rodgers
The couple, who are also parents to three-year-old Heidi, are now staying with family in Austria
The couple had to retrieve their luggage and were told to go to the help desk.
"We thought that we would miss this flight, but that the help desk would be able to sort out the problem and we would be able to get on another flight. It was when they said 'no' that I started to get stressed," she said.
"It was eight o'clock at night so we booked into a hotel straight away and we were told that we would have to go to the consulate in the morning.
"I was hopeful they would be able to help but when we got there we were told it could take weeks to sort out."
As Philipp is from Austria, the family booked a flight to Vienna so they could stay with his family.
"This is terrible but we are so lucky to have family here that we can stay with. I don't know what we would do if we didn't."
Sarah said that Lily's Austrian passport states she was born in Britain, and that she also offered to show her birth certificate as proof, but was told this wouldn't be sufficient.
How have the rules changed?
Under previous rules, British dual-nationals from visa-free countries could enter the UK using a foreign passport.
Since 25 February, that is no longer permitted under updated entry requirements.
They must now present a valid British passport or a digital certificate of entitlement linked to their other passport.
Without one of these documents, they risk being denied boarding or refused entry to the UK.
The changes are linked to the rollout of the ETA system, which requires non-visa visitors to obtain travel permission in advance.
Sarah Rodgers
The couple said they have travelled with their children before and weren't aware the new rules would affect them
Sarah said she wanted other people to know that this could affect them.
"I know lots of people with dual nationality kids and everyone I've spoken to wasn't aware," she said.
"The rules say that you only need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) if you aren't British, so we assumed it didn't apply to us.
"By the definition on the government website, Lily is British, but the proof that shows that isn't accepted.
"We've travelled with our older daughter loads and did the same thing with Lily earlier in February."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Public information advising dual nationals to carry the correct documentation has been available since October 2024, with a substantive communications campaign on the introduction of ETA has been running since 2023.
"This requirement applies to all British citizens, regardless of other nationality, taking the same approach as other countries including the United States, Canada and Australia."
