this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2026

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Dual Canadian British citizens scrambling under new passport rules (www.cbc.ca)

submitted 3 days ago by floofloof@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 days ago (3 children)

The really fun part is that in order to apply for a British passport you have to submit documentation that only someone living in Britain would have. Like, gas bills, bank statements, that sort of thing. It is almost impossible to get a passport if you haven't lived in that country for a few years.

So you can basically wind up in a situation where the only way to return to the country of your birth is to revoke your citizenship there. Absolutely deranged.

[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

That doesn't seem to be true? Their site says you can use another passport as verification if renewing - https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport/renew or if applying you need a little more https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passport/what-documents-you-need-to-apply

I'm about to have to go through this now. I'm a dual citizen but I've never lived over there, and have a trip planned to visit family later this year. I let my British passport expire over 10 years ago because I never use it.

More details here too https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-passport-supporting-documents-group-3/applying-for-a-passport-from-outside-the-uk-supporting-documents-group-3-accessible The supporting docs in table A are definitely doable without living in the UK, if you even need to use that table. Their site is unclear and contradictory unfortunately between that last link and the earlier ones

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

As you just pointed out, a lot of people aren't renewing. I specifically said "apply".

Looking at that list, the requirements do seem to have been updated. But as you again pointed out, they're also very unclear. It's not exactly well defined what half of that stuff even is.

I went through this process nine months ago - because these rules technically went into effect over a year back, but then the government hemmed and hawed on whether or not to actually enforce them because they were so confused about what they had actually done - and I went as far as to speak with the consulate in Toronto and with a friend of a friend who works in the actual passport office in the UK just to get clarification on this stuff and it was still a mess of contradictions. I ended up having to track down someone I knew from my childhood who is a notary now and get them to write a document saying that I am who I say I am.

[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago

They do seem to be good at making a mess of things.

[–] HamsterRage@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

My wife and I are dual citizens born in Canada but with fathers that were born in the UK. We decided to get our passports pre Brexit because we are planning to move to France soon.

We've never lived in the UK, but had no problem getting British passports. We just needed our fathers' birth certificates and marriage certificates. And, of course, our own birth certificates.

We renewed our passports back in the fall, just before this news broke.

PS: We are old enough that our mothers' nationality didn't matter, even though they both were born in the UK.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Yeah, fun fact, because you weren't born in the UK the rules on what documentation is required are different for you.

[–] HamsterRage@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yes, but how do you get out of the country to live somewhere else without getting your first UK passport while you are still in the UK?

I'm not sure, but I think the requirements when you are renewing an expired passport are somewhat easier to meet.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

No, not if it's been expired for a while. There's a grace period where it counts as a renewal, after that it's treated as a "first time" application.

Also, if you're born in the UK as a dual national, you don't have to ever get a British passport. I flew to Canada on my Canadian passport. There's nothing stopping you from doing that.