New entry requirements for British and Irish citizens with dual nationality

26 February 2026 | posted in Immigration law

Effective from 25 February 2026, there are new UK border entry requirements whereby British and Irish citizens who hold dual nationality must enter using either a valid British or Irish passport, or a passport for another nationality which has a certificate of entitlement showing the right of abode in the UK.

Those individuals with dual nationality are now no longer able to use a foreign passport, i.e. a non-British or Irish passport, without the above proof of the right of abode to enter the UK.

Electronic travel authorisation (ETA) enforcement

Also, as of 25 February 2026, individuals visiting the UK who are nationals of Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada, countries within the EU/EEA and certain other territories must have a valid ETA before travelling to the UK.

The UK Border Force is set to enforce these new rules more robustly and travelling to the UK without an ETA (or an e-visa to show UK immigration status in the relevant category) in place is likely to result in refusal of entry at the relevant border control or port or refusal by the airline company to onboard the passenger.

To clarify, British and Irish citizens who hold dual nationality do not require an ETA to enter the UK, although they will need to provide the required evidence of their status on entry.

Increase in Home Office compliance and sponsor licence revocations

There was a surge in Home Office compliance activity in 2025, which involved the Home Office increasing their checks and visits to business premises in an effort to combat illegal working, as well as to target breaches of obligations by sponsor licence holders.

Additionally, statistics show that the Home Office revoked 1,948 sponsor licences between July 2024 and June 2025, which is more than double the figure for the previous 12 months, recorded at 937 licences (source: Record numbers of visa sponsor licences revoked for rule breaking – GOV.UK).

How we can help

If you have any UK immigration or British nationality queries, please contact our UK immigration team.