New figures show people applying from overseas for United Kingdom citizenship and passports has soared after a change in rules for dual citizens.
By Gill Bonnett of RNZ
New Zealanders with British heritage or families were caught by surprise at the start of the year, when they found they could no longer travel back to the UK on their New Zealand passport.
From late February, Britain and Ireland required all its citizens to use only passports issued by those countries when travelling to them, or pay more than $1300 for a "certificate of entitlement" to use in their New Zealand passport.
UK Home Office figures show overseas passport applications almost tripled to more than 300,000 in the first quarter of 2026. The British passport office had more than half-a-million applications in total in its system, the highest on record.
For some New Zealanders, it was the first time that they discovered they were classed as British citizens, as they had never previously owned a UK passport.
The policy change also coincided with the highest number of UK citizenship applications on record, in the 12 months to March. In the first three months of this year, 118,000 people applied – almost double the number at the same point last year.
Data from the UK's 2021 census shows New Zealanders were the most likely migrants to have dual citizenship (49.2%), ahead of South Africa (49.0%), and Australia (47.4%).
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office found that at least 80% of New Zealanders had some British ancestry — higher even than Australia.
Dual nationals' travel without challenge
RNZ has heard from dual nationals who have travelled to the UK without a British or Irish passport, as well as those not able to get one because of documents they could not track down or the high cost of applying and postage.
Many queries centred on whether border officials would have any way of border staff checking whether a New Zealand passport holder also had UK citizenship.
Steve Horrell decided to try a real-world experiment, using an ETA (a $37 visa-waiver) he received last year to to fly to London with his New Zealand passport. He took along the UK passport ($320 including postage) he purchased in February – in case it went wrong.
At two airport check-in points no-one queried whether he had dual citizenship, then he used the Smart Gate at border control in Heathrow without issue.
'Nice shiny UK passport yet to see light of day'
"I was actually very angry that my New Zealand passport was just accepted and I got the big green tick to enter the country," he said in a formal complaint to the British Home Office. "Travel back to NZ was not an issue and I used my NZ passport throughout. So, my nice new shiny UK passport stayed in my travel wallet and has yet to see the light of day.
"How did the system not pick up that I was the holder of a valid UK passport and why did it not ask me to present it? Is the real reason that I was not challenged due to a shortage of staff to effectively police the border, or is it down to an ineffective computer system that is not fit for purpose?"
He told RNZ he planned to show an expired UK passport first if he was challenged at the border – to see if it was true that would be accepted as proof of his citizenship – then to produce his new British passport if that failed.
"It turned out to be a pointless exercise. The whole scenario is a complete nonsense and I am now absolutely sure that the UK authorities introduced this as a money-making scheme, because it would appear they were more interested in getting people through immigration by using Smart Gates so that they do not need to employ so many staff to check everyone manually."
He sent follow-up emails after only receiving an automated acknowledgement to his complaint in May, which had promised a response in 20 working days. He said he felt conned, describing the Government's statements about not allowing entry to British citizens using third-country passports to enter the UK as "fearmongering".
The UK Home Office said British and Irish citizens are no longer able to get ETAs and the onus is on the individual to apply for the appropriate permission to travel. Its advice is still that it is the airline's decision whether to allow dual citizen travellers to use an expired UK passport, if they also have a valid New Zealand passport.
'A short-term transitional measure'
The British government had described the expired passport as a "short-term transitional measure" but it is not clear how long it will last. An article by an immigration lawyer on the UK law website Free Movement argues that ETAs issued to British dual citizens before online changes were made remain valid.
In research by the House of Commons library, it noted speculation that some British dual nationals would continue using their foreign passport by not declaring their British citizenship.
"Other dual nationals may travel to the UK as a foreign passport holder unaware that they have British citizenship. For example, a person who has never lived in the UK might have automatically acquired British citizenship through one of their parents by automatic operation of the law, without having had any formal interaction with the UK Government.
"In either situation, transport providers and staff at UK passport control wouldn't necessarily know that a person travelling on a foreign passport also has British citizenship if the person didn't volunteer that information. There is no central register of British citizens or dual nationals, and information about a person's place of birth isn't enough to confirm if they are British."
The Home Office stressed that while British people would not be detained or separated from family at the border, the best way to ensure a smooth journey was travelling with a valid UK passport or a certificate of entitlement.
Meanwhile, the EU's work on its own €20 (NZ$39) visa waiver – known as ETIAS – is still continuing. It has been delayed previously and was due by the last quarter of this year. Authorities promised a specific launch date to be announced 'several months in advance' and there is no indication whether that will now happen in time.
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