Hello,
I reside in UK and hold swiss citizenship and intend to visit after not having done so for a long time. I have a valid swiss only, will this be suffuicent to travel to/from CH?
Likely travel by air.
Thanks
If it’s a Swiss passport, you’ll have no problem at all entering Switzerland. Returning to the UK you will likely have to show whatever residence permit you have from the UK authorities when you enter the UK border.
I am a british citizen but no documentation to prove such,
As a dual national, the process to obtain uk passport is convoluted as it asks for parents ID etc. I just wish to visit briefly, my dather suggested it may be possible to suggest that I am a swiss tourist upon return, they surely would not contest this?
Of course you can chance it and hope that they don’t ask too many questions. Your problems start if they DO start asking questions.
If you have a valid Swiss passport you can enter Switzerland, or another Schengen country, without additional documentation.
I often enter the UK using my Swiss passport but I now need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). I believe this is necessary for all non-UK travellers. UK nationals, including dual-citizens, cannot obtain a UK ETA.
If you do not have a UK passport it is doubtful that your airline will accept you for a flight to the UK without an ETA.
Since the UK started the ETA scheme, you have to enter the UK on a British passport if you have British citizenship. You have no choice as you can’t get an ETA as a British citizen. You need to enter Switzerland/Schangen countries with your Swiss passport/ID.
You are going to need to get a British passport, or you’ll not be able to go anywhere and return.
You can return to the UK, on your Swiss passport, filling out and requesting an ETA.
That said, after 6 months, you will be asked why you are overstaying in the UK. Answering that you are a UK citizen will then ask the question why you didn’t use your UK passport to enter the UK (a requirement for dual nationals under the ETA scheme)
Only if they lie on the application and say they are not British: if you answer truthfully it won’t let you continue with the application. Lying on an immigration application is not smart.
Sorry, but this makes no sense. If you are eligible for British citizenship, you should have documentation. Being entitled to citizenship and then obtaining a passport are two different things. Generally the hassle of getting official documentation is worth it, especially if you want to travel. In the old days a lot of people could not be bothered . These days that can be a real problem.
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I just tried it and it appears that having British nationality no longer precludes getting an ETA.
I put UK as a second nationality and it allowed me to continue to the payment page, in the past it would automatically stop the application.
The OP’s best option is to apply for the ETA but answer honestly and see what happens.
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I disagree. The OP’s best option is to get their British passport. The challenge is not coming to Switzerland it is returning to the UK
Ok, I should have worded that differently.
The OP’s best bet in the short term is to apply for the ETA to cover their intended trip to Switzerland. The ETA will only be necessary for the return trip.
If as they say they currently have no documentation to prove their British citizenship they won’t be able to get a passport easily. The first thing will be to obtain their citizenship paperwork and then they’ll be able to apply for the passport. That will obviously be best in the long term but it’s going to take time, potentially lots of time.
They clearly have residence rights in the UK unless they are living there illegally.
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If the OP is quick and plans their trip to take place before February 25th they can legally travel on their Swiss passport without needing to get the ETA.
Not if you list UK as your second citizenship. If you list UK as the first (and no other), then you are right it won’t let you proceed… but you can put CH as primary, and UK as secondary.
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This is from the UK GOV website. After the 25th of Feb, no ETA if you are a British citizen - you can get a certificate of entitlement to put in your other passport though. Electronic travel authorisation (ETA): guide for dual citizens - GOV.UK
Travelling to the UK
As a dual national, you must travel to the UK using either:
- a valid UK passport or Irish passport
- any other valid passport with a certificate of entitlement
You can apply for a passport or certificate of entitlement if you need one. You will not be able to travel without one of these documents.
You cannot get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) if you’re a British or Irish dual citizen.
If you’re travelling before 25 February 2026
If you have a valid passport for a nationality that can get an ETA, you can use it to travel to the UK without an ETA or a certificate of entitlement.
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I don’t understand the OP though.. I can’t imagine trying to live in the UK without proof you are eligible to remain. It be like me living here as a Swiss citizen with only my British passport 
Well, I think we answered the OP’s question. He can travel to Switzerland with a valid Swiss passport.
I think we answered both parts of his question.
The to part was easy it’s the from part which is more complicated.
Not sure why you wouldn’t have. If you were born British you have a birth certificate. If you were naturalised then you have the documentation for that.
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That’s not quite how it works. Our son was born British but in Belgium and thus has a Belgian birth certificate. We had to claim his British nationality via the British consulate in Brussels and get him a British registration of his birth which is optional, not obligatory.
If the OP has dual nationality and was registered as Swiss at birth unless their parents did the administrative stuff to register him as British it is quite possible that he has nothing to show to prove it. They’ll need to provide documentation from their parents to be able to claim the citizenship.