British girl, 15, stranded in Rome for six weeks due to new passport rules

Summary

The dual national, who missed six weeks of school, is latest of several children affected by recent Home Office policy A British girl was prevented from returning to her school in the UK for six weeks after a trip to see her grandmother in Italy because of the Home Office’s new rule requiring dual British nationals to have a British passport to get back into the country. The 15-year-old, who was stranded in Rome in April, is just the latest of a number of children and young adults hit by a new Labour government rule that came into force in February. Under the rules , dual nationals risk being denied boarding of a flight, train or ferry if they do not present a British passport, current or expired, or a “certificate of entitlement”, costing £589, attached to the passport of their second nationality. Rowan Somerville, an author and the father of the 15-year-old, has sharply criticised the Home Office and the Foreign Office for being unable to help a British child return to school because of a new rule they created. Others hit by the new Home Office rule included a young British woman trying to come home from Spain and children returning from Denmark . Many have complained of inadequate communication with the public. In April, Somerville’s daughter was refused boarding for the flight home to the UK, where she lives. “The embassy, the Home Office and the Foreign Office bounced us from one to another,” he said. “They are playing with people’s lives, a child’s education. Powell said he would be writing to the immigration minister, Mike Tapp, to ensure no other schoolchildren are left stranded by the Home Office rules, which were not communicated meaningfully to the public. “Despite having a British parent, two valid passports, and having been at school in the UK since nursery, changes to Home Office rules resulted in her being stuck in Rome and missing six weeks of school,” he said. “Thankfully, we were able to help and she’s now at home and back in school, but unfortunately this was not an isolated case, and it raises serious concerns about how government departments communicate policy changes once they’ve been introduced – and support those who have slipped through the net.” Somerville described the process as a bureaucratic nightmare, topped by another three months trying to get his daughter the British passport she now requires, something the government website says takes three weeks. But it is not their fault they are impotent.” Previously, the Home Office has dismissed as “absurd” the idea that it did not communicate the rule change, arguing it had done so on the gov.uk website. Without one, carriers cannot verify British citizenship, which may lead to delays or refused boarding.” The FCDO has been approached for comment.