Does a UK/CH dual national need both passports to travel to UK and back to CH?

Transportation, Travel and Trips
1

My wife has both passports and therefore cannot get a UK ETA, so she needs to travel out using her British passport. Returning the Swiss want to see proof of eligibility so she needs her Swiss passport to return.

Is there anyway around this Catch-22?

2

Yes. This should always have been what she did. I show my Swiss passport to Swiss immigration (entry and exit) and my British passport to British immigration.

Edit: I also always take my British passport with me when going on holiday elsewhere and only needing the Swiss one - just incase I need to do an unexpected trip to the UK for a family emergency.

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3

I’ve not travelled to the UK since the evisa was enforced.
Previously entry to the non-Schengen section of Zurich airport involved showing a passport. Then it would be Swiss. Before boarding another passport check was made - UK or Swiss both OK and a boarding pass stamped, even if you have it on your phone one as issued to be collected for boarding.
Now I guess Swiss passports must have some sort of evisa check at this stage too - or a UK passport.

It’s so retrograde and annoying…

4

Just checked in for flight tomorrow to UK - what a palaver.

Firstly you no longer just add passport numbers, passports must be scanned using your phone.

My other half has only a Swiss pass, so with the ETA paid for her’s went through w/o problem. I have both CH and UK passports and previous logic was leave CH with CH and enter and exit UK with UK.

My Swiss pass without the ETA scanned OK, but no boarding pass could be released. So I had to repeat the check in with scan of my UK passport.

This will surely screw up the EU "Entry and Exit* system as I will have exited CH and entered the UK. Likewise on return I will enter Schengen with Swiss Pass having never left it…

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5

Let us know how it goes. I have to make my first UK trip this summer and nervous with all the changes and 2 kids in tow.

6

I travelled back and forth three weeks ago - dual national. My trip went smoothly because I:

  • Checked in online with my UK passport. This is important - if you try to check in with your Swiss passport it screws up the check in process then you have to spend 40 mins of your life on the blower with Swiss central command while they sort it out. Don’t ask me how I know this… :grimacing:
  • Exited through passport control in Zurich with my Swiss passport
  • Presented my UK passport at the gate and they stamp the boarding card (they give you one there if you checked in online)
  • Entered the UK on my UK passport.
  • On my return trip I exited the UK and entered Switzerland on my Swiss passport.
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7

I went back in May, no issue at all. Checked in for UK flight with UK passport. Checked in for Swiss flight with Swiss passport. Showed Swiss immigration my Swiss Pass and UK immigration my UK passport. Simples!

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