British girl stranded in Rome for six weeks under new passport rules
10 reported2 unconfirmed
A 15-year-old British girl was prevented from returning to her school in the UK for six weeks after a trip to see her grandmother in Italy, due to a new Home Office rule requiring dual British nationals to have a British passport to re-enter the country. The girl, stranded in Rome in April, is one of several children and young adults affected by the rule, which took effect in February under the Labour government. Her father, author Rowan Somerville, criticized the Home Office and Foreign Office for being unable to help, saying they “bounced us from one to another.” The Home Office could not issue a temporary passport because the girl did not have a British passport initially. Her school wrote expressing concern about her prolonged absence, and local MP Joe Powell intervened, leading the FCDO to issue an emergency travel document in May. Somerville described the process as a bureaucratic nightmare, noting that after three months, his daughter still required a British passport, which the government website says takes three weeks. A Home Office spokesperson stated that the girl was granted an emergency travel document in May and that a passport was issued within eight days after required information was received.
What’s reported
The 15-year-old British girl was stranded in Rome in April for six weeks due to a new Home Office rule requiring dual British nationals to have a British passport to re-enter the UK.
The rule came into force in February under the Labour government.
Under the rules, dual nationals risk being denied boarding if they do not present a British passport or a “certificate of entitlement” costing £589.
Other affected individuals include a young British woman returning from Spain and children returning from Denmark.
The Home Office could not issue a temporary passport because the girl did not have a British passport initially.
Her school wrote to government departments expressing concern about her prolonged absence.
MP Joe Powell made representations to the Home Office, and the FCDO issued an emergency travel document in May.
Somerville said the government website states a passport takes three weeks, but the process took three months.
A Home Office spokesperson said the girl was granted an emergency travel document in May and a passport was issued within eight days after required information was received.
The Home Office has previously dismissed as “absurd” the idea that it did not communicate the rule change, stating it did so on the gov.uk website.
Open questions
The article does not specify how many total children or young adults have been affected by the rule.
It does not detail the specific communication failures between government departments.
Key figures
Rowan Somerville, author and father of the 15-year-old girl
Joe Powell, local MP
Mike Tapp, immigration minister (mentioned as recipient of a letter from Powell)
Home Office spokesperson (unnamed)
Sources: The Guardian
