A woman from Aberdeen, Scotland, has found herself stranded overseas after her 11-month-old child was barred from boarding a flight due to recently implemented regulations concerning dual nationality. Sarah Schloegl was denied entry to a Ryanair flight departing from Alicante last week, where she had traveled for a brief vacation with her Austrian husband, Philipp, their three-year-old daughter, and their infant son.
Since February, new rules have required British dual nationals to present either a British passport or a certificate of entitlement to abode, which costs £589, when traveling to the UK via flights, trains, or ferries. Schloegl, although she kept up with news, was not aware of this specific change and contended that airlines and airports should have prominently displayed this information in advance to prevent travelers from encountering difficulties upon their return.
Schloegl first learned of these new rules at the Alicante departure gate. While her older child, who possesses both Austrian and British passports, and her husband, who has settled status post-Brexit, were permitted to board the flight, the infant was not allowed to travel. “I find this situation absurd. My baby was born in the UK and resides there, yet she is denied entry, even alongside me, her British mother,” Schloegl expressed. “I’m from Scotland, both of my children were born in Scotland, and my family has deep roots here, while my husband holds settled status.”
She emphasized that it is primarily children and young people with dual nationality who are most adversely affected by these regulations. Schloegl, along with numerous others who have reached out to the Guardian in recent months, criticized the Home Office for its inadequate communication regarding the rule change. Immigration Minister Mike Tapp has previously deemed such complaints as “absurd.”
Monique Hawkins, head of policy and advocacy at the campaign organization the3million, highlighted the lack of compassion displayed in denying boarding to an infant. “The Home Office claimed they would adopt a compassionate and pragmatic approach for travelers facing genuine difficulties, but we see no evidence of compassion in this situation,” she remarked.
The Home Office maintains that the relevant information has been available on the government website since February. However, dual nationals argue that the site is seldom consulted by travelers. Schloegl noted that she was aware of the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirement for her Austrian relatives entering the UK, as it was well-publicized on airline platforms, unlike the dual national regulations.
This communication gap has led many Britons living abroad, sometimes for extended periods, to miss significant family events, including funerals and visits to aging parents. Schloegl recounted that the ground staff were accommodating and directed her family to the airport’s help desk, hoping for assistance with securing a later flight. They contacted the registry office back in the UK, which provided a scanned copy of the baby’s birth certificate, confirming her UK birth and the issuance of her Austrian passport by the embassy in the UK.
Despite this evidence, the Home Office informed the airport staff that the baby could not be allowed entry. Schloegl was also denied emergency travel documents for her child, with the British embassy in Spain stating that she did not meet the necessary criteria for such papers.
Faced with the prospect of a lengthy delay of up to three months, the family opted to stay with relatives in Austria, though they currently have no clear timeline for resolving their predicament. The3million has reached out to European Affairs Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and Maroš Šefčovič, the head of the European Commission for Trade and Economic Security, urging action to protect dual nationals who are children of parents with settled status.
They are advocating for the Brexit withdrawal agreement to explicitly include children who acquire dual British nationality at birth due to a parent being British or having settled status in the UK. A Home Office spokesperson mentioned that public guidance regarding the necessary documentation for British dual nationals has been available on the government website since October 2024, alongside a significant communications campaign regarding the ETA’s introduction starting in 2023. While they opted not to comment on this specific case, they clarified that emergency documents are only granted to those who already possess a passport, citing exceptions for urgent travel needs, such as medical emergencies or attending a close relative’s funeral.
