British student left stranded in Europe for more than a MONTH due to confusing new passport rules
A 15-YEAR-OLD girl was stranded in Rome and missed six weeks of school because of confusing new passport rules.
The new dual nationality rules meant that she was unable to return home for over a month.
The British girl had been visiting her grandmother in Italy in April of this year.
When it was time to return home, she was turned away at the airport because she didn’t have a valid British passport.
The new passport rules that came into play in February mean that British nationals have to carry a valid British passport to return to the UK – they can no longer use their foreign passport.
An alternative is to have a “certificate of entitlement” costing £589.
Rowan Somerville, the father of the 15-year-old stranded in Rome, sought help from the Home Office and the Foreign Office.
But he told The Guardian: “The embassy, the Home Office and the Foreign Office bounced us from one to another.
“They are playing with people’s lives, a child’s education. It is loathsome.”
Rowan Somerville said that the Home Office couldn’t give his daughter a temporary passport because she didn’t have a British passport in the first place.
The girl’s school and local MP Joe Powell contacted the Home Office and the FCDO who eventually issued an emergency travel document.
Joe Powell said that “changes to Home Office rules resulted in her being stuck in Rome and missing six weeks of school.”
Joe Powell added: “Thankfully, we were able to help and she’s now at home and back in school, but unfortunately this was not an isolated case.”
A Home Office spokesperson told Sun Travel: “This individual was granted an Emergency Travel Document in May, enabling them to return to the UK.
“We also remained in contact regarding a passport application, and once the required information was received and checks were concluded, a passport was issued within eight days.
“Since 25 February 2026, all dual British citizens have needed to present either a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement when travelling to the UK.
“Without one, carriers cannot verify British citizenship, which may lead to delays or refused boarding.” were concluded, a passport was issued within eight days.”
There are thought to be as many as 1.2million people who can no longer use their foreign passport to enter the country.
Despite the rules being outlined on the Gov.uk website, they are continuing to catch people out.
In another case, a woman who has lived in the UK for 28 years, but had been staying in Copenhagen attempted to return to the UK with her six-week- old and 23-month-old for a friend’s wedding.
But the family was refused boarding because her two children only had Danish passports which meant they didn’t have valid travel documents for returning to the UK.