London flight boarding denied: UK’s new passport rule leaves woman stranded in Spain

New UK passport rule blocks London woman’s home flight journey

As also reported by the BBC, a recent overhaul of UK border rules rang in trouble for the London-born woman as she was refused to board a return flight from Amsterdam on April 2.

Although she tried using her Spanish passport, as she had always done for such travels, new rules introduced late February determined that dual nationals can no longer enter the United Kingdom using only a foreign passport. They are now also required to show their British or Irish passport, or buy a digital certificate of entitlement to the right of abode, which costs £589.

“I had left on 2 April from Luton airport using my Spanish passport, as I had always done throughout my whole life,” said Cochrane de la Rosa, as quoted by The Guardian. “When it came to the return, I had no problems getting through passport control or security.

“I was at the departure gate when the easyJet worker asked for my documentation, which I was obviously surprised about. I had no idea what she was referring to.”

More about the London woman’s citizenship and travel snag

Born and raised in Islington, Natasha has lived in the UK her entire life. However, she also told BBC London that her case was “nuanced” due to historical nationality laws. When she was born in 1999, her parents (a British father and Spanish mother) were unmarried. This meant that her dad couldn’t automatically pass on his citizenship.

Asserting that she is “100% a dual national,” the 26-year-old bashed the UK Home Office’s communication of the new rules and their impact on dual nationals, adding they were “not amplified.” Had she known about them, Natasha would have stayed home and “sorted out” her paperwork.

Elsewhere, she also established that before Brexit, she could exit and enter the UK on her Spanish passport under free movement laws. Since those rules have long changed, Natasha was forced to take a break in the Netherlands, where she had no choice but to sleep in the airport overnight, according to The Guardian.

Thereafter, she booked a flight from there to Spain, where she also had relatives, and her troubles worsened.

Consequently, an easyJet crew member even contacted the Home Office about Natasha’s case. However, she was struck by “pure shock” as even having her British birth certificate and a British driving license didn’t aid her. Cochrane de la Rosa also divulged that immigration lawyers told her that her situation put her in a legal “grey area,” even though she pays taxes and voted in the UK, the BBC stated.

The Guardian further reported that Natasha revealed the British Embassy rejected her application for emergency travel documentation as well because it “didn’t meet the threshold of what they consider to be an emergency.”

The 26-year-old dual national will now likely have to apply for a British passport, a process that could take about six weeks. On top of that, there is no guarantee of approval, as her case is already a complicated one due to her birth circumstances. If that wasn’t all, Natasha also lacks the proper paperwork in hand to consider the option of buying a digital certificate of entitlement worth £589.

Remaining outside the UK for too long will additionally pose major threats to her employment in the country.

UK Home Office responds

A spokesperson for the UK Home Office said, “Since 25 February 2026, all dual British citizens need to present either a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement when travelling to the UK,” according to the BBC and The Guardian.

Contrary to Natasha’s criticism, the official defended the Home Office communication, asserting that specific information pertaining to dual nationals has been available on the government website since October 2024.