An Australian couple has been forced to cancel their long‑planned trip to the UK after a controversial rule change left them unable to travel without the correct British documentation.
Dual citizen Steven Sangster and his partner Jessica were preparing to visit Steven’s father in Scotland this month. But new UK entry rules in effect since February 25, mean dual citizens can no longer enter the UK using only an Australian passport. They must either travel on a valid UK passport or obtain a Certificate of Entitlement proving their right of abode.
The change has triggered a rush among tens of thousands of Australian‑British dual citizens trying to update their British passports. But for Steven, the situation is even more complicated.
Born in Australia in 1977 to a Scottish father, Steven is automatically a British citizen by descent, yet he has never held a British passport. That means he cannot use the recently announced loophole allowing travellers to enter the UK with an expired British passport issued after 1989.
The UK Home Office has left it up to airlines to decide whether they will accept an expired passport as proof of citizenship. But because Steven has no previous British passport at all, the exemption does not apply.
His only option now is to apply for a British passport a process that can take weeks. Until then, the couple fears they cannot travel to the UK or onward to Ireland.
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