From February 25, 2026, Italian citizens who also hold British citizenship may be denied boarding to the United Kingdom if they do not present a valid British passport.
This measure stems from new regulations regarding entry into the United Kingdom. Airlines, railways, and shipping companies could be fined up to £2.000 per passenger transported without the required documentation. The trend is towards stricter controls even at the boarding stage.
Required documents for entry
To enter the United Kingdom, you will need to present one of the following documents:
- ETA, Electronic Travel Authorization
- Valid eVisa
- valid British or Irish passport
- Certificate of Entitlement (CoE) inserted into another passport, costing approximately £600 and with a more complex procedure than that of a British passport.
However, citizens with dual Italian and British citizenship face specific restrictions.
They cannot apply for an ETA because they are already considered British citizens. They also cannot use a valid eVisa, since any status under the EUSS, whether pre-settled or settled, loses its legal validity upon acquiring British citizenship.
In practice, the only viable option becomes... British passport Valid. Alternatively, there is the Certificate of Entitlement, a more expensive and bureaucratic solution.
Most affected situations
The change affects several specific cases.
Among them are minors who automatically acquire dual citizenship but do not yet possess a British passport.
This also includes people awaiting their naturalization ceremony. After becoming British citizens, they will no longer be able to travel solely with a European passport, but they will not yet be immediately eligible to apply for a British passport.
Another affected group is that of citizens with expired British passports who continued to travel exclusively with their Italian passports.
Request for review
Given this scenario, the organization The3million He sent a letter to the British Home Office requesting a postponement of the rule's entry into force or the adoption of transitional measures.
Among the proposals is the creation of a reduced-cost travel permit to avoid disproportionate losses for British citizens with dual nationality who have only recently become aware of the change.
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