Can I travel before I get my UK passport

[leeloy88]

I have done my BC ceremony and haven’t yet applied for a UK passport which I’m planning to do this week. However, I have some emergency family matter to attend to so will need to travel to Asia for a week asap, but this means I won’t have my UK passport in time.

Can I still travel or there is no option and I have to wait for the UK passport?

I also have an existing Taiwan passport and therefore can enter the UK as a “tourist” without my BRP card if it comes to it. But since my BRP is no longer valid after the ceremony, can I do my job in the UK?

[meself2]

which I’m planning to do this week

You need to send in your foreign passports to apply for a British one.

Can I still travel or there is no option and I have to wait for the UK passport?

Yes. You're a British citizen; use your current passport to board the plane and show your naturalization certificate at the border - that should let you in. As a citizen, you have right to work/live/etc.

[leeloy88]

Understood. So basically just hold off on applying for my UK passport, and travel using my foreign passport. And apply for the UK one when I return from my trip.

[meself2]

Yes.

[contorted_svy]

which I’m planning to do this week

You need to send in your foreign passports to apply for a British one.

Can I still travel or there is no option and I have to wait for the UK passport?

Yes. You're a British citizen; use your current passport to board the plane and show your naturalization certificate at the border - that should let you in. As a citizen, you have right to work/live/etc.

How would OP board the plane if they are a visa national? with current BRP?

Advice is usually best to travel with a British passport once naturalised which you need to send in all current passports to do.

[meself2]

which I’m planning to do this week

You need to send in your foreign passports to apply for a British one.

Can I still travel or there is no option and I have to wait for the UK passport?

Yes. You're a British citizen; use your current passport to board the plane and show your naturalization certificate at the border - that should let you in. As a citizen, you have right to work/live/etc.

How would OP board the plane if they are a visa national? with current BRP?

Advice is usually best to travel with a British passport once naturalised which you need to send in all current passports to do.

They are not?

I also have an existing Taiwan passport and therefore can enter the UK as a “tourist” without my BRP card if it comes to it.

[CR001]

How would OP board the plane if they are a visa national? with current BRP?

The OP has already stated they are a non-visa national so would have no issue at all!

[contorted_svy]

Apologies, read the post too quickly.

[zazatals201118]

Hi- just following up on this thread. My wife’s in a similar situation she is a South African national and has recently obtained her citizenship certificate but doesn’t yet have a British passport. She is dual citizen as she’s retained her South African citizenship and she was going to travel to South Africa next week - will she have problems travelling back to Uk if she doesn’t have a UK passport? She has applied for a passport but not yet sent her documents as she needed to travel. Also I don’t know if the situation is different to the OP as SA nationals need a visa to travel to the UK. Are there any options that would allow her to travel eg applying for UK tourist visa in SA? Grateful for any advice

[secret.simon]

I don’t know if the situation is different to the OP as SA nationals need a visa to travel to the UK.

It is.

A non-visa-national can get onto a flight and get to the UK border to make her arguments to a UK border official.

A visa national will not be allowed to get onto a flight to the UK by the airline staff, unless she has either a valid BRP, visa vignette or a British passport.

Are there any options that would allow her to travel eg applying for UK tourist visa in SA?

A British citizen can't be issued any UK visa. They need to apply for either a British passport or a CoE-RoA.

If she applies for her first British passport from abroad, it may (a) cause a delay and (b) may cause her entire naturalisation application to be re-examined. There have been two cases of the latter reported on these forums.

She would be much wiser to get her first British passport from the UK before leaving.

[zazatals201118]

I don’t know if the situation is different to the OP as SA nationals need a visa to travel to the UK.

It is.

A non-visa-national can get onto a flight and get to the UK border to make her arguments to a UK border official.

A visa national will not be allowed to get onto a flight to the UK by the airline staff, unless she has either a valid BRP, visa vignette or a British passport.

Are there any options that would allow her to travel eg applying for UK tourist visa in SA?

A British citizen can't be issued any UK visa. They need to apply for either a British passport or a CoE-RoA.

If she applies for her first British passport from abroad, it may (a) cause a delay and (b) may cause her entire naturalisation application to be re-examined. There have been two cases of the latter reported on these forums.

She would be much wiser to get her first British passport from the UK before leaving.

Thanks for replying was worried that would be the case. We already booked the flights but looks like we’ll have to cancel or reschedule and finalise the British passport application

[meself2]

Hi- just following up on this thread. My wife’s in a similar situation she is a South African national and has recently obtained her citizenship certificate but doesn’t yet have a British passport. She is dual citizen as she’s retained her South African citizenship and she was going to travel to South Africa next week - will she have problems travelling back to Uk if she doesn’t have a UK passport? She has applied for a passport but not yet sent her documents as she needed to travel. Also I don’t know if the situation is different to the OP as SA nationals need a visa to travel to the UK. Are there any options that would allow her to travel eg applying for UK tourist visa in SA? Grateful for any advice

Unless she still has a valid BRP, as stated above, she won't be let on the plane.
Also keep in mind she''d have to send her South African passport to apply for UK one anyway.

[unaanu]

Someone told me that they travelled on their EU passport before attending the ceremony and accidentally after receiving their UK passport too with no problem.

[unaanu]

Also keep in mind she''d have to send her South African passport to apply for UK one anyway.

Incorrect. You can send a certified copy of your passport (all pages) if you don't want to send you passport to them.

[contorted_svy]

Also keep in mind she''d have to send her South African passport to apply for UK one anyway.

Incorrect. You can send a certified copy of your passport (all pages) if you don't want to send you passport to them.

You do have to send your original passport for first UK passport.

[unaanu]

I have been told on visa groups on both Facebook and Reddit that you can send a certified copy instead, as long as you have a valid reason e.g. needing to be able to travel due to family illness.

[contorted_svy]

It's not what the official guidance says and members here have been asked to supply originalswhen sending in copies.

[unaanu]

It's not what the official guidance says and members here have been asked to supply originalswhen sending in copies.

I just wrote "certified copy" in the search bar and can see that some people have been successful in sending a certified copy instead of their physical passport. But it's probably a good idea to inquire about it first.

[secret.simon]

It's not what the official guidance says and members here have been asked to supply originalswhen sending in copies.

I just wrote "certified copy" in the search bar and can see that some people have been successful in sending a certified copy instead of their physical passport. But it's probably a good idea to inquire about it first.

@unaanu, if I search "certified copy", most of the results that come up are from the Ireland forum. Are you certain that you are not confusing the rules of two different countries?

Also, keep in mind that HMPO may have different and stricter rules than the naturalisation team inside the Home Office. What may be acceptable to one may not be to the other. There has been at least one instance on these forums of HMPO refusing to accept Home Office documentation.

Keep in mind that the documentary thresholds for the three different processes (immigration upto and including ILR, naturalisation/registration and passport application) may be very different. They are three independent processes, under different rules and laws. Don't assume that what works for one will work for all.