Electronic travel authorisation (ETA): guide for dual citizens
What dual citizens with British or Irish citizenship (or right of abode) need to do to travel to the UK.
Overview
An electronic travel authorisation (ETA) gives permission to travel to the UK to visit for up to 6 months.
You cannot get an ETA if you are a dual citizen with either:
- British citizenship
- Irish citizenship
How to prove your permission to travel to the UK as a dual citizen
Prove your permission to travel using one of these:
- a valid UK passport
- a valid Irish passport
- another valid passport containing a certificate of entitlement
If you do not have a valid document
Travelling on or before 24 February 2026
If you’re a British dual citizen with a valid passport for one of the nationalities that can get an ETA, you should be allowed to board transport to the UK as normal, without an ETA.
Travelling on or after 25 February 2026
You may not be able to board your transport to the UK without a valid document.
You will need to have additional identity checks to verify your citizenship before you can go through UK passport control.
Apply for a passport or a certificate of entitlement now. It will avoid complications when travelling to the UK from 25 February 2026.
Updates to this page
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Added details about travelling to the UK from 25 February 2026.
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First published.