Dual citizenship

It is my understanding that due to new rule he would have to enter UK on a UK passport and does not need an ETA. He could then fly back to US using US passport.

Yes he does

Tinka is correct - because he is a British citizen he needs to enter the UK using a British passport. Alternatively he can travel using a US passport and a digital Certificate of Entitlement to Right of Abode (which is what I have linked to my non British passport), but this is more expensive than a British passport.

He does not need an ETA.

Getting a British passport is pretty quick and can all be done online.

Thanks everybody for your replies. We did not even realize that he was still considered a UK citizen until this past week. We thought his UK citizenship was relinquished when he became a US citizen 50+ years ago per the US naturalization oath. Surprise. Somehow he was issued an ETA by the UK government. I can’t even remember if they ask where you were born on that application as we both applied months ago. But certainly his US passport lists his place of birth in the UK. I guess we need to get busy tomorrow getting him a UK passport.

Does the UK ETA not ask about 'any other citizenship' in the application process? I am surprised he was able to get an ETA
( my travels have not included the UK, so I have no idea what questions are included in the ETA application process)

Why are you changing passport rules for dual citizens?
The UK is moving to a modernised ‘digital permission’ system where international carriers are required to confirm, through automated checks against Home Office records, that passengers have valid permission or status to travel to the UK. All carriers (e.g. airlines, maritime and rail) have now been equipped with the necessary tools to verify travel permission via automated digital checks with the Home Office.
We recognise that this is a significant change for carriers and travellers, but we have been clear on requirements for dual British citizens to travel with a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement, in line with those for all British citizens.
Public information strongly advising dual citizens to travel with a valid UK passport or Certificate of Entitlement has been available since October 2024, including official guidance on GOV.UK.
https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-factsheet-april-2026/

Hi Joe,

We applied for the ETA’s a few months ago so I don’t recall what was asked for on the application but we would have answered honestly. We had no idea that he was still a UK citizen until a few days ago. A lot of naturalized American citizens will probably be in the same predicament being unaware of their dual status. We were surprised to learn that our daughter who was born here in the US also has dual citizenship by descent.

"Does the UK ETA not ask about 'any other citizenship' in the application process? I am surprised he was able to get an ETA"

The system asks your nationality, and I'm assuming he then chose 'United States', as he didn't realise he was still a British citizen. There are many, many people who don't realise - either they think they lost it when they naturalised as a citizen of a foreign country, or they don't realise they obtained by descent from a parent who was a British citizen at their birth.

OP - it doesn't matter what his place of birth is, just his current citizenship status. You can be born in the UK and not a British citizen, and vice versa.

Simon,
My husband was born in the UK and his parents were both British citizens so he is definitely a dual citizen. His British ancestry goes way, way back. He is distantly related by dna per Ancestry.com to a Neolithic? man called Cheddar Man whose remains were found in a cave in Cheddar Gorge. Cheddar Man’s remains are in the Natural History Museum in London I believe so we will have to make a visit and pay our respects to his ancestor when we are there (assuming the remains can be viewed). So his UK roots run deep.

The only reliable answer to your question needs to come from the UK Embassy. Tax Treaties among other things now make this kind of thing rather important. The US started a lot of it and other countries are keeping up (I will forgo commenting on whether the initial decisions on all sides were a good idea). For example, if you are a naturalized US citizen and then move back to your home country you still have to file US Income Tax Forms (even if you owe nothing!!!). Fortunately a lot of this bumph can be handled online these days.

What everyone says here is correct. All UK ciitzens must enter the UK on their UK passport. Note that the US has had this same rule for quite some time (which means dual UK/US citizens must bring both passports when travelling between these two countries). A few things to add:

-There was a time in the US when naturalised citizens had to renounce their other citizenship(s) (earlier in the 20th C) but that is no longer the case.
-Some countries do not allow dual citizenship (Spain and India are two I can think of) so obtaining a new citizenship means you have to renounce. However the UK and US both allow for dual citizenship at this time.
-I would check whether your daughter is "automatically" a UK citizen or she is just eligible for UK citizenship. It doesn't sound like she ever claimed it, in which case she would not need to worry about applying for a passport.

I think most of us here originate from Cheddar Gorge Man! If you visit the Gorge itself in Somerset, they have a replica skeleton in the bit of the caves where they found him.

Rules are here
https://www.gov.uk/dual-citizenship

this issue is worth more publicity because it's not only the UK enforcing this rule - dual nationals in any combination need to stay aware of what each country is doing. And guess which country was in the lead on this....? https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/planning/personal-needs/dual-nationality.html

I just did my ETA last night, and yes they do ask about multiple citizenships. It really is not a distinct question, but in the process they make a statement like "You are applying as a citizen of the country below" and shows the US, then another line something to the effect listing other citizenships, and a button to "add" and another to "Confirm" Easy to skip through, especially since he does not have a passport. Basically, his ETA is in error, he failed to provide correct information, if he had answered correctly, he would have been denied the ETA. It could be an issue at entry, especially since his passport likely shows his birth as the UK, not sure what the implications are, maybe denied entry, very likely some legal hassle.

He needs to go through channels linked by others to either get a UK passport, or a "Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode". Both will take some time, and cost you a few hundred Dollars worth.

Thanks, Paul. As we did not know my husband was still considered a British citizen when he applied for the ETA we answered honestly but are now finding out that this was possibly an error. We will be calling the British consulate here in the US for clarification this morning. All of this is a surprise to us as my husband has traveled to the UK numerous times (we’ve lost count of how many times) over the past few decades both for business and pleasure and he always used his American passport. I will report back later today when we hopefully are able to get an answer from the British embassy.

Rico, too funny. I thought my husband had a unique ancestry with regard to Cheddar Man especially as he is from the same part of the UK but, of course, not.

thanks for the update, Mary. I'm interested in the outcome.

Yes, this was a recent change, as recent as the beginning of 2026. Before that, the focus was on if you held a UK passport, which he did not. It has always been the case, for the UK, and nearly every country, that if you hold a passport for that country, you must enter on that passport, regardless of where you reside. They simply expanded the definition of citizen from "proven" citizen (Has paperwork and a passport) to all potential ones. I suppose it is to assure that someone who legally has a right to enter the UK is not denied entry via the ETA process. Unfortunately, it means your husbands option to get entry, is much longer and costlier to achieve than the 15 minute process I went through.

Rico, too funny. I thought my husband had a unique ancestry with regard to Cheddar Man especially as he is from the same part of the UK but, of course, not.

From the Natural History Museum website:

Modern-day British people share approximately 10% of their genetic ancestry with the European population to which Cheddar Man belonged, but they aren't direct descendants.

Update - I spoke to the British consulate this morning and they confirmed my husband needs a British passport. I also learned that since we obtained our ETA that they had changed the application form and my husband would not have been able to get an ETA on the new form. We just went out to get passport photos making sure they were to the UK specifications which are different from the US. I’ve found his original birth certificate and the passenger manifest from the Queen Mary showing dates of departure from England and arrival in US. He no longer has his original British passport. So now we start the process of applying for his British passport. I will keep everyone posted. Thank for everyone’s help. I truly appreciate it.

The UK has historically had an unusually relaxed policy compared with most countries relating to dual / multiple nationals presenting any of their passports on entry.

For some years though it has been a recommendation but not a requirement to use a British passport.

The recent firm requirement arose as a consequence of not allowing any British citizens (or indeed Irish ones) to need an ETA to enter the UK. I don't know how accidental this really was but there is no mention of this aspect on the impact assessment of the legislation.

I hope it all goes smoothly

Thank you Nigel and Marco!

The passport application was submitted online along with the hefty fee ($215) and a passport photo. We had to ask someone who knows my husband to verify his identity to the British government via email. Now we wait to hear back from the government what other doc’s they want - photocopies of passport pages, original birth certificate, other doc’s showing my husband’s name and address?

It's all on the web site - if he has his old British passport It's very straightforward:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/applying-for-a-passport-from-outside-the-uk-supporting-documents-group-3

Thanks, Simon. His original passport was issued when he was 3 years old 70+ years ago and is long gone. But we have other documents to prove his citizenship. We have reported that old passport as lost. Now he has to call the passport office in the UK this morning to discuss that with them. I wish we still had his passport with his baby photo on it. He was so cute (still is).