My teenage daughter is unable to visit her grandparents in the UK due to new rules requiring dual nationals to possess a UK passport.
As a UK citizen living in France with my French spouse, our older children have both French and UK passports. Our youngest, born in Zimbabwe, only holds a French passport. I began applying for her British passport in February, submitting various documents including photos, hospital records, and translated certificates.
During an official interview, questions focused on my job, commute, and home layout rather than my relationship with my daughter. Subsequently, I was informed that the evidence provided was insufficient to prove paternity, and I was asked to consider a costly DNA test.
We need to visit my ailing father in the UK, but fear that our daughter might be denied boarding. This situation stems from new regulations implemented in February, which effectively restrict entry to the UK for dual nationals lacking a British passport. While foreign nationals can enter with their country of residence's passport, expats must pay for a certificate of entitlement.
These rules have caused significant disruption, with children stranded abroad or arbitrarily denied passports granted to their siblings. When inquiring if my daughter could travel on her French passport, no clear answer was provided.
As a result, we face spending Christmas apart from my parents. According to Home Office guidelines, passport applications should be evaluated on the "balance of probability" if a DNA test is refused, with reasons for refusal clearly explained. However, we have not been informed why our evidence of paternity was deemed inadequate.
The Home Office does not comment on individual cases but stated that additional evidence might be requested to ensure "credible authenticity." Surprisingly, we were later informed that her application had been accepted without any new documentation since April, possibly due to media attention highlighting the situation.
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