Dual U.S. and UK citizenship, and how to renounce

Dual citizenship
Dual U.S. and UK citizenship needs no application: the UK allows it and so does the U.S. What changes is travel. A British dual citizen cannot get an ETA and enters the UK on a British or Irish passport or a certificate of entitlement.

Being British and American at the same time is allowed by both countries. What it changes is how you travel to the UK and what a British consulate can do for you in the U.S.

Is dual citizenship allowed?

Yes. gov.uk says dual citizenship is allowed and that you do not need to apply for it (dual citizenship). The FCDO's guide to living in the U.S. adds that the USA recognizes dual citizenship, so becoming a U.S. citizen does not require giving up British citizenship (living in the USA).

The Home Office does not keep records of everyone who is British automatically, so it is your job to check before you travel.

Traveling to the UK as a dual citizen

Document Accepted for a British citizen?
Valid British or Irish passport Yes
U.S. passport plus a certificate of entitlement Yes; the certificate costs £589 and is digital
U.S. passport plus an ETA No: British dual citizens cannot get an ETA
Expired UK passport issued in 1989 or later plus a valid U.S. passport The airline decides

You cannot hold a certificate of entitlement and a valid British passport at the same time, according to the right of abode page.

Two citizenships, one rule at the border
 Keep the British passport valid: it is the simplest way into the UK for a dual citizen. 

One point surprises people: gov.uk says a dual national cannot get diplomatic help from the British government while in the other country of citizenship. For a dual U.S.-UK citizen inside the U.S., that limits what a consulate can do.

Giving up British citizenship

You can renounce if you already have, or are about to get, another citizenship, and you are 18 or over. The fee is £513 in the Home Office fees table. You apply online and receive a declaration of renunciation showing the date your citizenship ends.

If you renounce to take up another citizenship, you have 6 months from the declaration to get it, or the declaration lapses. Renunciation only affects you, though it can affect children you have later. It is sometimes possible to resume British citizenship afterwards, with form RS1.

Before you decide anything
  • Check whether you are British automatically
  • Renew the British passport before UK travel
  • Do not apply for an ETA if you are British
  • Read the renunciation conditions in full
  • Keep copies of your parents’ birth certificates
    • You became British through the EU Settlement Scheme

    gov.uk says you can travel with your other passport or EU identity card if you settled under the scheme, after checking your eVisa.

    Marriage to a British citizen

    You do not become British by marrying a British citizen; there is a separate route for spouses who have lived in the UK.

    Applying by mail

    Renunciation can be done by mail, but gov.uk advises against it if you need your documents back by a specific date.

    Children and marriage

    You do not become British by marrying a British citizen; spouses have their own route.

    And children may hold a parent's nationality automatically even when born abroad, which is how many U.S.-born children end up British without any application (dual citizenship on gov.uk). Our guide to citizenship by descent explains when that happens.

    The certificate of entitlement

    For a British citizen who travels on another passport, the certificate of entitlement is the alternative to a British passport. It is now digital, accessed through a UKVI account, is not a visa and does not expire.

    A vignette sticker in an older passport can be used until that passport expires, or swapped for the digital version for free; if the passport holding your certificate expired before 26 February 2026, you make a new application (right of abode).

    All the procedures
    Fees and requirements
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