Very Important – if you (or your clients, family members, colleagues) are travelling to the UK from 25 February 2026 onwards, please read this carefully.
This week, the United Kingdom moves to full enforcement of its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, under what the government has described as a strict “no permission, no travel” policy.
In practice, this means airlines, ferry operators and train companies will be legally required to check that passengers hold the correct permission before departure. If the documentation is not in order, boarding will be refused — even to British citizens in certain circumstances.
What is changing?
From now on, entry to the UK will require:
- A valid British or Irish passport (for British/Irish citizens), or
• A digital visa (for visa nationals), or
• An approved Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) (for non-visa nationals — currently applicable to 85 nationalities)
Key point for dual nationals
Irish citizens — including those who also hold British citizenship — are exempt from the UK’s ETA requirement under the Common Travel Area arrangements and may travel to the UK using their Irish passport without needing additional permission.
British citizens who also hold another nationality (other than Irish) will no longer be able to enter the UK using only their foreign passport, even if that passport is from a visa-waiver country (EU, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.).
Previously, many British dual nationals travelled on their non-UK passport for visits of up to six months. That option ends with full ETA enforcement.
From this week onwards:
- British citizens must travel on a valid British passport, or
• Travel on a foreign passport that has a valid Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the UK attached.
Without one of these, boarding may be refused.
If you are a British dual national and your British passport has expired, it is strongly advisable to renew it before travelling. Even if you present an expired British passport alongside a valid foreign passport with matching biographic details, you risk being denied boarding at the departure airport, as pre-departure checks are carried out by the carrier and discretion ultimately lies with the airline.
While an ETA costs £16, it is not available to British citizens. The alternative for dual nationals travelling on a foreign passport — a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode — currently costs £589. Renewing a British passport is generally the more practical and cost-effective solution.
For non-British / non-Irish nationals:
- foreign nationals requiring a visa to enter must hold a valid digital visa (eVisa).
- foreign nationals who do not require a visa to enter, require an ETA, which should be applied for at least three working days before travel.
EU citizens already resident in the UK under pre-settled or settled status must ensure that their digital immigration status (eVisa) is correctly linked to their current passport and that their UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account details are up to date before travelling.
This is not a minor administrative tweak. It is a structural shift in how the UK controls its borders: permission must now be secured before travel, not at the border.
If you travel frequently, hold multiple passports, or advise clients on cross-border movement (as many of us do), it is essential to review documentation now rather than at the check-in desk.
Travel rules are becoming increasingly digitised and pre-cleared. A little preparation now avoids a very unpleasant airport surprise later.
Vertex Alliance advises internationally mobile individuals and families on cross-border residency and citizenship, to learn more about how we can help get in contact with our Senior Advisor, Alexandra Kenna: akenna@valtd.com
