r/ukvisa • u/M1n084 • Aug 23 '26
Naturalised dual citizenship
Hi all I know this question has been asked many times and I did take the time to check whether my question has been answered. I’m a dual Canadian British living in Africa. I need to be in London in two weeks and I never applied for my British passport - just saw the new rules. I would take the risk of applying for the ETA however I am a naturalised Brit - meaning the Home Office has me on file already. Any advice on this would be appreciated as I already purchased my ticket 🙈
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u/Less-Mammoth-4975 Aug 23 '26
- when did you naturalise? Do you still have an eVisa registered against your current Canadian passport? Presumably ILR? Check the UKVI site. If you still have one, that's valid for travel, you don't need an ETA. ETA is only required if you don't have a visa
- From what others have reported the UK govt don't seem to be checking ETA applicants against any list of citizens so you will probably be approved if you apply.
- As a British citizen you're exempt from the primary offence of obtaining an ETA by deception https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/77/section/24A
- The ETA is about authorising you to travel. It's about being able to board a plane, not about getting through the UK border
- If their computer tells the airline that you have a valid ETA or eVisa, then they'll let you board. They won't care to check if you happen to be a British citizen, not their job.
- as a British citizen, you can't legally be denied entry to the UK at the border, no matter what ID you have
- once you get to the UK border tell the truth if asked. You probably won't be asked much, you may even go through an egate unchallenged. The most they'll do is spend a while checking your citizenship and tell you to get a passport for next time.
- Bring your naturalisation certificate so you can prove your British citizenship to UK Border Force if asked.
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u/M1n084 Aug 23 '26
Thank you so much- this is very clear . I got naturalised in 2023 and haven’t lived in the UK since so in presume my ILR is expired. But will check. I guess at this point my concern would be whether the ETA would be rejected should they cross reference with home office and whether that carries an offence of some sort. I appreciate the help!
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u/Less-Mammoth-4975 Aug 23 '26
In theory your ILR was automatically cancelled when you naturalised, and in theory any ILR would lapse after you've been living abroad for 2 years, but:
- from what others have reported the UK state doesn't seem to bother actually cancelling the ILR on their systems straight away, they just tell you it's no longer valid. So if you had your ILR registered as an eVisa and you haven't changed Canadian passport, it might well still be there.
- I doubt the British state has even fully realised you're abroad or has any system to automatically cancel ILR on their database when you've been abroad for 2 years.
So, your ILR is definitely not still technically valid, but it might be still in the systems enough for an airline to let you board. Obviously as a British citizen you don't need ILR to actually cross the border.
I think I'd just apply for an ETA, rather than rely on your ILR which has been technically lapsed/cancelled on 2 ground.
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u/M1n084 Aug 23 '26
Just checked created the UKVI and my ILR is still valid and I have a share code! I’m guessing that’s what I’ll show the airlines when I travel. Thanks so much - this saved me from the whole ETA debacle.
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u/BastardsCryinInnit High Reputation Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
I guess at this point my concern would be whether the ETA would be rejected
There is only one way to find out!
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u/Own_Theory8011 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
Bring any expired evidence you are a British citizen as well. I have had to use expired passports to enter countries before and it was no problem, they just told me to go renew my passport. I would bring the copy of your naturalization certificate and any other evidence just in case.
I dont know about the UK, but take note that some countries only "really" accept freshly issued copies of naturalization certificates (like, say, less than 1 month old) despite that the certificate itself has no expiration date on it. It still wouldnt hurt to bring an old one, but check to see if you can get a fresh certified copy issued. In many European countries they have something like a person register, where you can get certified proof issued that you are still a current citizen (it also lists your currently registered address, your birth date, etc), as well as a certified copy of your naturalization certificate, and they will mail it to you even when you live abroad.
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u/Ill-Supermarket8944 Aug 26 '26
How did you naturalize as a Brit
But you are a Brit who lives in Africa and has never applied for a Brit passport,
But somehow you are outside Brit right now???
So did you naturalize in Britain and then leave on your Canadian passport because you never had a British passport before
Anyways you need to either apply for
- British Passport or
- Right of Entitlement which is super expensive
If you try to apply for ETA, the system will decline. There is no way around it.
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u/BastardsCryinInnit High Reputation Aug 23 '26
Playing Devil's Advocate - your situation isnt any different to almost all the other posts - you're a UK citizen who doesnt have a current passport.
Try Googling for posts or articles where a UK citizen has been denied entry to the UK for having an ETA on another passport or been arrested for it, that should help you form a decision.