New British passport rule traps young dual nationals in Rome for weeks

A 15-year-old British girl was prevented from returning to her school in the United Kingdom for six weeks after visiting her grandmother in Rome, according to the Guardian. The Home Office's new rule requiring dual British nationals to present a British passport to enter the country left her unable to travel home in April. The rule change has created a bottleneck for families with dual citizenship, many of whom have relied on alternative documentation for decades.

The case highlights an unintended consequence of post-Brexit immigration enforcement: young people with Italian and British nationality, common among families with roots in both countries, now face bureaucratic barriers that did not exist before. The Guardian reported that the girl's case is not isolated; other families have encountered similar delays and separations. The rule has forced families to navigate consular systems at short notice, disrupting schooling and travel plans.