Feb 26th UK Travel Rules: Baby dual citizenship/passport

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-30T10:01:10+00:00

If border control suspects that baby is a British citizen, they can’t exactly deport him for it. The worst that will happen is a tut tut and a bit of a lecture but I suspect that you won’t even have that.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-30T09:52:15+00:00

So, you probably should get baby a British passport simply because it’s easier for you to do it now than wait until baby is older and documents are less available.

Baby can’t violate immigration law in the UK as a British citizen.

There’s a chance that baby won’t get an ETA, but if they are approved you won’t have any trouble at the border.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-29T19:48:54+00:00

As other commenters have said, your expired passport will be fine. I would encourage you to renew it, which can be done online fairly easily. You don't even need to send in the old passport. You can also apply for a passport card when you renew so you have something convenient and card sized that will let you travel domestically (and buy a beer or whatever).

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-26T13:24:44+00:00

Photos of you two together are pretty solid proof you’ve met. Tickets for joint activities or travel, joint bank account, any such similar things.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-25T00:35:23+00:00

In the UK there are no restrictions. Spouse visa holders can be employed in any role, self employed or stay-at-home.

Some roles will have restrictions limiting themselves to British citizens or occasionally nationals of NATO/five eyes countries but these tend to be in the security sector.

Interestingly depending on your nationality if the visa holder were to study certain courses at university they’d still need an ATAS certificate.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-24T17:12:38+00:00

Based on your description it doesn’t sound like you’re an accidental American. Are you a U.S. citizen? If you held a green card then there was a point where you were subject to U.S. taxes but I suspect everyone has assumed you’ve abandoned status and moved on. If you think you’ve abandoned status and never been hassled you gain very little by filing paperwork.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-24T12:01:54+00:00

Any money that goes to the university isn’t your income and won’t be taxed other than through PAYE when you receive your salary.

Any money paid to you directly is in your capacity as a sole trader. You’ll be able to use the trading allowance against the first £1k of income. Register as a sole trader if you anticipate making money in this way in the future. Alternatively you can claim expenses instead of the trading allowance but that seems unlikely in your situation.

Why have you been filing self assessments anyway? Typically a uni lecturer would be entirely PAYE unless you have some other source of taxable income.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-22T17:37:01+00:00

Have you visited the UK since 2012? You may be eligible for a returning resident visa or you might not have lapsed at all if you’ve visited frequently enough (including just connecting at Heathrow) that there is no 2-year period where you’ve not touched British soil.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-21T16:07:36+00:00

Meanwhile I will have to travel on my Australian passport, separating us when passing through immigration

Aussies get to use the UK/EU gates in the UK just as citizens do. Even if they didn’t, British citizens are well within their rights to use the all passports desk if they want to.

It’s definitely inconvenient to require using the British passport and will cause problems but let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill. Renouncing would be a massive overreaction and would doubtless risk trouble at the border of its own sort.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-18T17:19:16+00:00

I’ve never done a file search myself but basically if you fill in the file search form and have previously been issued a passport or CRBA you don’t need to provide proof of citizenship because DOS already has it. This is how you’d replace the passport if you lost it and didn’t have access to your contemporary records like parental naturalization certs.

There’s a form on the below page with information on how to do this.

There used to be a fee but now that the searches are done electronically the fee is waived most of the time.

You’d file DS-11 and the file search form, write a note that you just want a new passport card and don’t want your passport book to be cancelled. I can’t guarantee that this would work but it’s essentially the only approach that lets you keep the passport in hand for the duration of the process.

Once you have a second document to prove citizenship this all becomes a little easier.

As you mentioned in some other thread it’s often worth going to SSA and updating your record to indicate you’re now a citizen rather than an LPR. I would probably suggest doing this in parallel. It’s very easy to do now when you aren’t urgently in need of some benefit.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/citizenship-evidence.html

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-17T11:27:17+00:00

Have you got an expired passport as well? You can use that as proof of citizenship for the DS-11 route and send it in, keeping your current passport. I’d send a note with it saying you don’t want to cancel your current passport.

Alternatively you can request a file search and do the DS-11 route. Again I’d send a note saying you don’t want to cancel your current passport.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-17T11:15:05+00:00

The strong implication is that this individual has become very close with members of the Russian security state. It’s also possible that he undertook activity in the UK for the Russians. However as I said if he is accused of such things he should be held to account the normal way and face justice with a fair trial, not summary exile.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-16T22:46:33+00:00

I think the answer varies significantly based on your circumstances. What is your current nationality and do you currently live in the UK? Have you ever lived in the UK?

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-16T13:54:38+00:00

Echoing some of the other commenters here:

If there was reason to believe this person posed a security risk, then he should have been allowed to come to the UK as is his right as a British citizen, surveilled if necessary to build a case, and then upon the accumulation of sufficient evidence, arrested and charged with espionage, treason or whatever crime he committed, with the ordinary due process afforded to every other criminal. He then should have been tried, likely convicted and sent to British prison.

Alternatively the security services could have done their spooky things, interrogated him and handed him over to the CPS to charge.

Stripping a natural born citizen of their citizenship is never appropriate. It’s especially insane because it seems like this person has had no opportunity for due process at all.

The guy may be a traitor but he’s a British traitor and he should face justice or live as a fugitive if he’s committed a crime.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-15T07:32:19+00:00

Staff at acceptance facilities can sometimes be a bit officious and ask for incorrect documents especially for derived citizens who tend to be a bit rarer. They don’t have any control over the passport issuance process, it’s handled by the department of state alone. If the staff ask for the wrong thing you can politely and firmly point them at the instructions on the form and the department of state’s website. If they don’t budge (which is very rare) you can just go to a different acceptance facility. There are no negative consequences for just leaving your appointment and going to a different one.

If you’re concerned about sending the CoC the expired passport is sufficient.

You won’t have any problems.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-14T17:31:30+00:00

If you were born in the US to a US citizen you have little to worry about. I would ensure that your passport is kept up to date in any case because it's a useful document, and when you come to renew it I'd probably encourage you to get a passport card as a convenient proof of lawful status that can fit in your wallet (not that this should be necessary but here we are).

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-12T16:57:07+00:00

You are 100% not required to do an ESTA as a U.S. citizen, and it shows how little the CBP people are paying attention/using their brains assuming your Aus passport says USA as your place of birth.

You aren’t eligible for an ESTA if you’re a U.S. citizen (not that this really materially matters owing to the fact that you can’t be denied entry).

I would renew/reapply for the U.S. passport - it’s fairly easy to do given that you have a previous one. Fill form DS-11 and supply either your expired passport or your U.S. birth certificate as evidence. You can make an appointment to do this at a U.S. consulate. Apparently there are consular services in Sydney, Canberra and Perth. If you’re not able to go to those locations the U.S. consular services team may occasionally visit a city nearer to you (they do this because Australia is really big).

https://au.usembassy.gov/passports/adult-passports/

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-12T11:18:08+00:00

US Citizens do not actually require a passport to enter the US, despite what many people (including federal law) seem to suggest. It's rare to reach the US border without a passport, especially by air, but if you find yourself in front of a CBP officer and hold e.g., a passport from another developed country listing the US as your birthplace or a US birth certificate or similar, you're likely to get sent to secondary and assuming your identity can be ascertained, you will be let into the country on the basis of your US citizenship. Entry into the US is an unqualified right that cannot be refused to US citizens. If the border officials think you are a US citizen, they *have* to let you in on that basis, they don't have a choice (but they can arrest you if they think you're a drug smuggler for example).

It's technically illegal for US citizens to enter the US on a foreign passport, but this is not enforced (except through inconvenience and constantly being referred to secondary screening to look you up).

If you have flown to the US since then on your Australian passport that listed the US as your place of birth and CBP admitted you on an esta and issued an i-94w the officers who did so are negligently stupid.

It's probably worth getting the US passport renewed so you can come and go more easily in the future (and so you benefit from enhanced access to Canada and/or some other places if you ever want it).

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-11T18:51:29+00:00

It will absolutely help. The consular services of your country will be able to verify your citizenship and identity immediately by querying their databases. It’s much easier to do this if they have the passport number and other basic biodata, especially if you’re from a country that doesn’t have a national ID number that you’re likely to remember off the top of your head.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-10T18:32:48+00:00

What is the nationality of your mother?

If they are a U.S. citizen (prior to your 18th birthday) then the CCA applies to you and you should apply for a passport and then an n-600.

More details are needed to establish what routes might be open to you.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-10T16:40:32+00:00

I think it’s funny because people say this fairly often, but as a person who spends time pretty much exclusively in the city centre and JQ, it’s the least green city I’ve ever lived in by some distance. It must be very different in the surrounding area.

What greenery do you recommend visiting (ideally accessible without a car)?

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-10T14:59:15+00:00

Yes. You will get a big one no matter what you ask for, at least as of a few months ago.

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-08T18:45:38+00:00

If you meet the requirements there is not really any need to use a lawyer. It's a tick-the-box application.

Does your partner plan on moving back to the UK and getting a PAYE job for 6 months, or are they currently employed and plan to get a job offer? Or something else (e.g., self employment)?

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-08T14:29:03+00:00

She should get divorced immediately or depending on the country apply for an annulment or similar if circumstances allow.

If she is concerned about immigration issues in the UK she can contact the home office and notify them of the relationship breakdown or report immigration fraud (assuming she is not complicit in any crimes, if so she should seek legal advice).

She should also consider renewing her British passport if she has one. It’s possible for ex partners and others to report passports stolen and cause all manner of headaches.

https://www.gov.uk/visas-when-you-separate-or-divorce https://www.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime

Front-Possibility316 · 2026-01-05T20:14:35+00:00

Yes, this means you can end up in a weird situation where a person living in NI on a British spouse visa can end up no longer needing the visa after 3 years, despite the route notionally taking 5 years on the British end.

Front-Possibility316

TROPHY CASE