Source: Radio New Zealand
Travellers are in a tailspin after they discovered new passport rules for travel to Britain – and some are now working out if they are even be classed as UK citizens.
Passport wait times are also becoming a key concern for dual-national New Zealanders travelling soon, who need UK passports before they can fly.
For some, it’s first a question of finding whether they are in fact British citizens.
New Zealanders Heather and John Wiltshire are booked on a holiday to the UK and Europe in 10 weeks’ time – but she’s not even sure if she will get on a plane.
She has only ever had a New Zealand passport, but as she was born in the 1960s to UK-born parents, she discovered only in the last few days that she could be classed as a citizen and refused boarding.
“I was so stressed that I just felt like vomiting. It was awful,” she said.
“I was phoning travel agents. Nobody knew. Everybody was ducking for cover and saying that they were waiting to find out themselves. So this was last Saturday morning. I didn’t sleep at all on Friday night.
“I was just sick, absolutely sick to the stomach because we’re leaving in 10 weeks and I’ve spent 30k on this holiday. And I’m still beside myself because I don’t know whether I’m getting this passport or not.”
Even armed with her parents’ birth certificates, wedding certificate, and her mother’s passports, she cannot tell whether she was ever given UK citizenship, as she was born in Aotearoa.
As young children were simply added to parents’ passports in the past, she doesn’t know if that means she is now classed as British.
“I went to the UK when I was five. I assume that my mother got me a New Zealand passport – but I could have travelled on her British passport,” she said.
Getting someone on the phone to clarify the situation was “maddening”, she said, with voice options sending callers around in circles.
The Aucklander fears that travel insurance will not cover people for cancelled plans as they are expected to have kept their passports up-to-date – despite not having needed them before to enter Britain.
It was already an expensive journey, visiting family and holidaying in the UK, Portugal and Spain, with her husband John, who has Alzheimer’s. Wiltshire had already applied – and on Wednesday received back – her husband’s new UK passport: he was born in the UK, and his passport had only recently expired. Her concern is that he would not be able to navigate border controls if her passport does not land in time.
Her New Zealand passport is also in the UK Passport Office as part of the process of getting the new UK one.
“And then when you go through to apply for the British passport and it tells you what to send, they make some comment about how they can actually cancel the passport that you send. So I have to send my New Zealand passport in, and they could actually cancel it.”
Passport timeframes
The British High Commission maintains it has kept people informed of changes through social media and website updates since 2024.
It referred RNZ’s question on passport timeframes to the “Passport Office through gov.uk”. A google search of that informs customers they could “usually get your passport within three weeks”.
It may take longer than that if they needed more information, or to set up an interview.
“There are different turnaround times if you’re applying from another country,” it said, although the accompanying link does not give timeframes for applying from another country, or if someone was renewing a long-since expired passport.
An RNZ reader emailed to recount that he had a straightforward experience of the form-filling stage – a 45-minute online form, sending photocopies of his NZ passport and paying £128.
“After what had been a rather enjoyable hour or so of administration, he popped the jug on for a lovely for lovely cup of tea with a chocolate digestive biscuit or two”.
He has had a confirmation email with the address of where he should send the documents.
Another British migrant, Steve, who moved to Aotearoa 23 years ago, is travelling back to see his mother and other family in 13 weeks’ time, and feels confident he’ll get his passport back in time.
He takes issue with the British High Commission’s planning and communications strategy in the months and years leading up to the change.
“I have had no reason whatsoever to suddenly query whether I could travel on my NZ passport to the UK. Why would I suddenly think anything would have changed, or fear that my travel would effectively be cancelled? The answer is nothing – not any idea that I had to do anything more than have a valid NZ passport as I have before.
“Not having heard from a travel agent, not having heard from my airline, having no awareness whatsoever of any of this and not being a social media user. So when they say they’ve been posting it. Posting it where? Has it gone out to dual nationals? And have they made any effort to reach out to dual nationals that they know are in the country?”
Andrew Gill was 12 when he emigrated in 1968 with his parents on a British passport, which expired a decade later and has not been renewed. He, too, has travelled regularly to Britain on a New Zealand passport.
The change is due to come in on February 25, and he is booked to fly to England at the end of March. He thought all he needed was an electronic travel authority, or ETA – costing £16/$37 – but last week joined the scramble for a UK passport.
The passport has so far cost him £177/$407, with related costs and the stress of waiting for it to be issued and returned in time. The cost can vary – a standard passport renewal for a recently expired passport costs £108/$248 for an adult, not including delivery costs. The cost of family passports depends on whether the children need UK passports.
“The British government has decided in their wisdom that they’re going to segregate New Zealand citizens. If you are a New Zealand citizen with no ties whatsoever to the United Kingdom, you apply for an ETA online, you pay, and 10 minutes later it’s granted. That’s all you have to do. It’s done.
“They’re saying, if you’re this sort of a New Zealander, you get treated that way. If you’re that sort of New Zealander, you get treated another way. And that’s wrong, you know? That’s not what this country is all about to start with. And I’m surprised that our government hasn’t said anything because I’m sure that Mr Seymour and Mr Peters would be upset to hear that the British have decided that they’re going to treat us differently.”
UK tourist businesses would be unhappy to know people were being deterred from travelling, he added.
“Mum and Dad born in England, got two kids born in New Zealand, decide they want to go back to England on holiday, all of a sudden they’ve got to get four British passports. Now, how far do they go before they say, nah, we’ll go to Spain or France [instead]. We won’t bother with them, it’s too expensive. Now, what’s that going to do to the British tourist industry?”
Others would be assuming they still had the right documentation, or only needed an ETA.
“There will be other people who say, ‘Well, hang on a minute, I was there last year and they accepted it’ [my NZ passport and ETA]. You know, why do they change the rules? I can understand that they can’t get this across to everybody all at once. That’s practically impossible from a practicality point of view, but they could have done a much better job. And the other thing is that it is absolutely impossible to contact them.”
A premium phone line charged by credit card, ended with another pre-recorded message and being cut off, he said.
“I’ve also seen in some of the media articles that sometimes we’re being classified as whinging Poms. Well, I am not a whinging Pom. All I want is to be treated the same as any other New Zealander, and that’s it.”
Irish dual citizens
Not only British subjects are affected, as Irish-NZ dual citizens (Northern and Southern Ireland) will also need to use a non-New Zealand passport.
“Irish citizens do not need to apply an ETA and must travel to the UK on an Irish passport,” the High Commission said.
“People with Irish + UK citizenship can travel on either their Irish or British passport. People with Irish + UK + NZ citizenship must travel on their Irish or British passport.”
Estimates of affected travellers are difficult to make because some travellers always renew their British or Irish passports, while others are not travelling in the near future and others still will not be classed as dual citizens.
The British High Commission said UK citizens’ Aotearoa-born children would not be affected by the change if they had never applied for citizenship.
“If people have not gone through the process of becoming a British citizen, they can travel on a non-British passport and apply for an ETA,” a spokesperson said.
The statement did not say how long New Zealanders could expect to wait for their documents.
RNZ asked the British High Commission what preparations or contingencies were in place from February 25 onwards at airports, given some passengers were unaware of the changes.
It said ETA or passport checks would become part of standard pre-departure procedures from that date.
“Airlines are responsible for ensuring passengers have the correct authority to travel before boarding. If a passenger presents a passport that requires an ETA but is ineligible to apply for one because they are a British citizen, the airline may be unable to board them.
“The UK government has issued guidance to carriers through established aviation and border channels. Information has also been available on gov.uk for guidance for dual nationals since October 2024.”
They provided the following responses to emailed questions, saying travellers unsure of their citizenship status or passport requirements should check in good time.
What are the rules for people born in the UK to NZ parents who have never had a UK passport?
It depends on whether they are already a British citizen. If they are British citizens, they cannot apply for an ETA and must travel on their British passport, or [another] passport with a Certificate of Entitlement.
What are the rules for people born in New Zealand to Kiwi parents who have never had a UK passport?
If they are British citizens, they cannot apply for an ETA and must travel on their British passport or a passport with a Certificate of Entitlement.
What about people who may be eligible for UK citizenship but have never applied and are unsure if they are already citizens?
If they are British citizens, they cannot apply for an ETA and must travel on their British passport or a passport with a Certificate of Entitlement.
The statement concludes that if people have not “gone through the process of becoming a British citizen”, they can travel on a non-British passport and apply for an ETA.
“Anyone unsure of their status should seek clarification well before travel, this can be done through gov.uk.”
RNZ has asked for further comment to clarify whether a child with so-called automatic citizenship, born overseas, is also expected to travel on a UK passport.
Further information for travellers unsure of their citizenship status can be found here:
- https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-parent/born-before-1983
- https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-parent/born-between-1983-and-2006
- https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-parent/born-on-or-after-1-july-2006
Details about the – more expensive – Certificate of Entitlement, or renouncing citizenship are in a House of Commons library explainer.
These government websites also offer advice, including fast-track and emergency documents:
- https://www.gov.uk/world/new-zealand
- https://www.gov.uk/travel-urgently-from-abroad-without-uk-passport
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
