Aberdeenshire family stranded in Austria after passport rule stopped baby daughter flying home
Last updated 7th May 2026
An Ellon family remain stranded abroad after their baby was refused entry to the UK because of a change in passport rules for dual nationals.
Eleven-month-old Lily Rodgers was born in Scotland but has an Austrian passport - she couldn't board their flight to Aberdeen from Alicante, as she didn't have a British passport.
Instead, they had to fly to Austria, where dad Philipp is from.
Lily's mum Sarah says : "The only reason we're actually doing all right is because we have somewhere that we can stay right now. We are pretty stressed, pretty frustrated, not really getting any answers and I am starting to worry a little bit because my husband's gonna have to go back home for work so I'm obviously going to be on my own then with the kids".
"We thought that they would maybe give us an emergency passport, emergency travel document, something that and we would be able to fly home the next day. But when they said you're stuck for weeks, that's when we realised, oh my goodness, this is a big problem".
It can take 14 weeks for a British passport to arrive but Sarah says there is an update which at least gives some cause for optimism.
"We have actually had contact from the British Embassy in Vienna. So, I don't know what they can do, if they can do anything, but I'm a little tiny bit hopeful that they might be able to do something. I'm hopeful that they maybe can do something".
The Home Office says : “From 25 February 2026, all dual British citizens need 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.
“Public information advising dual nationals to carry the correct documentation has been available since October 2024, with a substantive communications campaign on the introduction of ETA has been running since 2023.
“This requirement applies to all British citizens, regardless of other nationality, taking the same approach as other countries including the United States, Canada and Australia.”