A British woman from Aberdeen has been stranded abroad after her 11-month-old baby was prevented from boarding a flight due to new rules regarding dual nationals.
Incident Details
Sarah Schloegl was refused boarding on a Ryanair flight from Alicante last week after a short break in Spain with her Austrian husband, Philipp, their three-year-old daughter, and 11-month-old baby. Since February, British dual nationals have been required to show a British passport or a certificate of entitlement of abode, costing £589, when boarding flights, trains, or ferries to the UK.
Lack of Awareness
Schloegl said she followed the news but was unaware of this change and argued it should have been displayed in airports and on airline websites months in advance. The first she knew of the rule was at the departure gate in Alicante. Her older child, holding both Austrian and British passports, and her husband, with post-Brexit settled status, were allowed to board, but the baby was refused.
“I do feel this is ridiculous, because my baby was born in the UK, lives in the UK, but she’s not allowed to enter the UK, even with me, her mum, who is British,” said Schloegl. “I’m from Scotland, our two kids were both born in Scotland, my parents, grandparents are all from Scotland and my husband has settled status.”
Impact on Families
She noted that children and young people with dual nationality are likely the most affected. Many others have contacted the Guardian complaining that the Home Office did not communicate the rule change effectively, a claim immigration minister Mike Tapp has dismissed as “absurd”.
Monique Hawkins, head of policy and advocacy at the3million, said: “The Home Office said they would take a compassionate and pragmatic approach to travellers who experience genuine difficulty. We cannot see the compassion in refusing boarding to an 11-month baby.”
Attempts to Resolve
Ground staff directed the family to the airport’s help desk, where they contacted the registry office back home for a scanned birth certificate proving the baby was born in the UK and that her Austrian passport was issued by the Austrian embassy in the UK. However, the Home Office still refused entry. Schloegl was subsequently denied emergency travel documents for her baby, as the British embassy in Spain said she did not meet the criteria.
Facing a potential three-month delay, the family decided to camp out in Austria with relatives, with no timeline for resolution.
Call for Action
The3million group has written to European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and European Commission head of trade and economic security Maroš Šefčovič, calling for action on dual national children of those with settled status. They want the Brexit withdrawal agreement to cover children who become dual British nationals at birth due to a parent being British or settled in the UK.
A Home Office spokesperson said public information on the correct documentation has been on gov.uk since October 2024, with a communications campaign on the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) running since 2023. They refused to comment on the specific case but stated that emergency documents are only available to those who already had a passport, with exceptions for urgent medical travel or attending a close relative’s funeral.
