A Scottish mum is stuck in Spain – because her baby fell foul of new UK dual nationality rules from the Home Office.
06:15, 07 May 2026Updated 06:44, 07 May 2026
UK tourists stranded in Spain after Ryanair flight ban over new passport rule
British passport holders are being left stranded abroad over UK dual nationality rules. A Scottish mum is stuck in Spain – because her baby fell foul of new UK dual nationality rules from the Home Office.
The Guardian reports Sarah Schloegl was unable to board flight home from Spain in the European Union as 11-month-old lacked documents needed under new rules.
Sarah, from Aberdeen, is stranded in Alicante after being unable to board a Ryanair flight. Under a rule change which began in February, carriers will refuse boarding to dual citizens who present only their non-UK passport unless they hold a costly Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode, priced at £589.
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The change closes a long-standing loophole whereby dual citizens could enter on the visa-waiver privileges of their second nationality.
Officials argue that treating all British citizens the same simplifies carrier checks once ETAs are mandatory for 85 visa-exempt countries.
Lobby groups, including The 3million and British in Europe, say the policy was poorly communicated and disproportionately affects mixed-nationality families.
“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,” Schloegl said.
“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.
“If you think about this, who are the most affected? It is probably kids and young people are probably the ones who, with dual nationality, who are impacted most.”
Monique Hawkins, the head of policy and advocacy at the campaign group 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.”
Schoegl said: “When we spoke to them we also phoned the registry office back home and they sent a scanned copy of the baby’s birth certificate which tells you she was born in the UK and that her Austrian passport was issued to her by the Austrian embassy in the UK.”
“They seemed to think that would be enough proof that she was British, but when they spoke to the Home Office they were told: ‘No, she’s not allowed into the country,’” Schloegl said.