What was supposed to be a simple visit turned into what turned out to be a six-week-long situation for a young British girl when the airline refused to allow her to enter the airplane back home. The fight back to home was not just that and it ended with classes being canceled, many calls made, and numerous phone calls with authorities.
This situation has received quite a lot of media attention in the U.K. and is a reminder of rules which apply to people with dual citizenship.
An Airplane Denied Saved Complication
The case concerns a 15-year-old girl who came to Italy to see her grandmother and to return to her parents without any problems but the airline didn’t allow her to fly from Rome.
This is because of a certain rule, not because some identification document of the girl has expired or there are some other issues.
Current regulations establish that anyone who is a British citizen as well as a citizen of another country needs to prove their British citizenship to enter the UK. While traveling, individuals must have either a current British passport, an expired passport, or a Certificate of Entitlement.
If none of these documents can be provided, transport companies including airlines or rail associations will not assist these passengers since they will not be able to confirm their nationality.
The new regulation left many dual citizens puzzled since they often travel on their foreign passports.
Bureaucracy Becomes the Main Issue
Rowan Somerville explained that getting assistance has been almost impossible.
All government institutions were sending the family back and forth. In his words, the British Embassy, Home Office, and Foreign and Commonwealth Office sent us from one department to another, not helping us solve the problem.
Instead of being an urgent matter, the family was struggling for weeks trying to get information about their case.
Missing School for Six Weeks
During the time government officials were dealing with their bureaucracy, the teenager stayed in Rome.
Her absence from school in the UK for six weeks brought about serious disruption to her education. Worried about her long absence, her school has even reached out to the authorities in hopes of speeding things up.
For a student preparing to take her classes and exams, lack of more than a month of education meant more than just missing a flight.
Emergent Passport Was Not an Option
People usually think that an emergency passport can help in such cases.
Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Since the girl had never possessed a British passport, she could not apply for an emergency replacement. As a result, the family had to wait for the legal documents as the girl stayed abroad.
Even after the girl came back home, the documents were not ready.
As with all standard British passports, the family had to wait for months despite the official recommendations claiming shorter processing times in regular cases.
MP Helped Out of the Situation
Finally, after weeks of waiting, help came from outside the governmental offices.
Government Officials Explain the Policy
The Home Office confirmed that the issuance of emergency travel documents took place in May, stating that the teenager’s passport was issued immediately after the completion of all other necessary documentation.
The officials also reaffirmed the need for the regulation.
The government states that airlines are required to ensure that passengers claiming British citizenship are eligible to enter in Britain. In relation to this, British passports are a necessity for airlines as such documents assist in verifying the nationality before boarding; thus easing the process of immigration upon arrival.
In the government’s opinion, the policy serves the purpose of improving the border control.
A Reminder to Dual Citizens
Although this situation refers to one specific family, it raises a more general issue of dual citizenship.
The travel regulations can change without a notice in advance. It is worth noting that one can encounter serious difficulties while traveling if it is assumed that the previous travels will hold valid in new situations.
Anyone holding British citizenship together with any other nationality should make sure that he/she has a proper travel document before purchasing a ticket to the UK. Otherwise, if a traveler waits
