When it comes to scottish mum stuck abroad after baby falls foul of uk dual nationality rules, sarah Schloegl, a British mother from Aberdeen, remains abroad after her 11-month-old baby was refused boarding on a Ryanair flight from Alicante last week. The family's short Spanish break became an open-ended stay overseas after they encountered UK dual nationality rules requiring British travel documents since February.
Understanding Scottish Mum Stuck Abroad After Baby Falls Foul Of UK Dual Nationality Rules
Since February, British dual nationals have needed a British passport or a certificate of entitlement of abode, costing £589, to board flights, trains or ferries to the UK. Originally reported by The Guardian.
Schloegl had travelled to Spain with her Austrian husband, Philipp, their three-year-old daughter and the baby. Her husband, who has post-Brexit settled status, and their daughter, who holds Austrian and British passports, were told they could board. The baby couldn't.
"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," Sarah Schloegl said.
Both children were born in Scotland, where Schloegl's parents and grandparents are also from. She argued that children and young people with dual nationality are among those most affected. The family hadn't expected dual nationality rules to prevent travel.
Birth certificate fails to secure a journey home
Ground staff directed the family to Alicante airport's help desk, hoping they could catch a later flight. A call to the registry office back home secured a scanned copy of the baby's birth certificate.
The document showed the child was born in the UK and that her Austrian passport had been issued by the Austrian embassy in the UK, Schloegl said. Staff thought that would establish her British nationality but, after contacting the Home Office, told the family she couldn't travel.
The British embassy in Spain subsequently said the baby didn't meet the criteria for emergency travel documents. Faced with a possible delay of almost three months, the family decided to stay with relatives and friends in Austria.
There's no timetable for resolving the problem. For Schloegl, the paperwork dispute has left a child who lives in the UK unable to return there with her British mother.
Family questions publicity for February passport requirements
Schloegl said she follows the news but first learned of the change at the departure gate. She wanted warnings on airport posters and airline websites months before implementation so travellers wouldn't be caught on return journeys.
By contrast, she knew about the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which her Austrian in-laws need to enter the UK. That requirement appeared on airline websites and received widespread publicity, she said.
Hundreds of others have contacted the Guardian over the last two months complaining about Home Office communication. British nationals living abroad, sometimes for decades, have missed funerals and visits to elderly parents.
Immigration minister Mike Tapp has previously dismissed criticism of the communication effort as "absurd". The Home Office said guidance had been on gov.uk since October 2024, alongside a "substantive communications campaign on the introduction of ETA" running since 2023. Dual nationals counter that people don't routinely consult the website.
Campaigners seek protection for children under Brexit agreement
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."
The3million has written to European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and the European Commission's head of trade and economic security, Maroš Šefčovič, seeking action for dual-national children of people with settled status.
The group wants implementation of the Brexit withdrawal agreement to cover children who become British dual nationals at birth because a parent is British or settled in the UK.
A Home Office spokesperson declined to discuss the case, saying emergency documents normally require a previous passport. Exceptions for people without one include urgent medical travel or attending a close relative's funeral.
For now, Schloegl and her family remain in Austria without a date for returning home. Their case leaves the campaign group pressing ministers for a solution while the family waits for documentation that will allow their baby to board a flight back to their home in the UK.
Originally reported by The Guardian. View original.