If you hold a British passport and a Ghanaian, Nigerian, Kenyan or Zimbabwean one, carry both, and plan to come back into the UK on your British passport. Which one you show on the way out, and which one goes on the ticket, depends on the country you are flying to and on what you have already arranged (a visa, an eTA or a dual nationality card).
This is general travel information, not legal advice. Rules on dual nationality sit with each government and can change. Before you travel, check with the relevant high commission or embassy, and with the Home Office or HM Passport Office for the UK side. Last checked against official pages on 3 October 2026.
Why this trips up so many UK families
Two separate checks happen on a trip home, and they do not always agree.
- The airline check. Before you board, the airline checks that you hold the right document for the country you are flying to (and, on the way back, for the UK). It does this using the passport details on your booking.
- The border check. On arrival, an immigration officer decides how you enter: as a citizen, or as a foreign visitor who needs a visa or authorisation.
A British passport can be the right choice for one of those checks and the wrong one for the other. A family that books everything on the British passport can find, at the desk, that the destination wanted a visa it never applied for. A family that travels on the African passport can find, on the way back, that the UK airline wants to see a British document.
Our other guides cover the visa mechanics country by country. This one covers the dual-national branch: which document, which name on the ticket, and what to carry. For visa options and fees, see our visa guide for Zimbabwe and South Africa. If you have one African passport plus UK residence rather than British citizenship, our guide to holidays you can book on a UK residence permit is the better fit.
The short version, country by country
| Country | Official position we could confirm | What dual nationals usually need to settle before flying |
|---|---|---|
| Ghana | Ghana recognises dual nationality. Ghanaian-British dual nationals can register with the Interior Ministry and get a dual nationality card, which shows you do not need a visa. | Either the dual nationality card, or a visa on your British passport. Yellow fever certificate. |
| Nigeria | British passport holders need a visa, applied for online before travel. Visa on arrival is no longer available. | A visa on the British passport, or the Nigerian passport. Ask the High Commission which applies to you. |
| Kenya | British passport holders must apply online for an eTA before travel. | An eTA if you enter on the British passport. Check how Kenya treats you if you hold Kenyan citizenship. |
| Zimbabwe | British passport holders need a visa, mostly bought on arrival, or an e-visa applied for in advance. Dual citizenship for people who are citizens by birth is a court-tested area (see below). | Decide in advance which passport you will enter on. |
Sources for each row are listed at the end of the relevant section. Whichever country you are travelling to, the UK end is the same: British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement when returning to the UK, and the same GOV.UK entry-requirements pages for each country say so.
Ghana
The FCDO's Ghana page states that Ghana recognises dual nationality, and that Ghanaian-British dual nationals can register with the Interior Ministry in Ghana and get a dual nationality card. It adds that you can produce the card when entering Ghana to show that you do not need a visa.
Without that card, a British passport holder needs a visa. The FCDO says applications go through the Ghana High Commission and that standard processing is 10 to 15 days, with a faster premium route in London. Check the current timings and fees with the High Commission before you plan around them.
Two practical points:
- Yellow fever. The FCDO says you must have a certificate to prove you have had a yellow fever vaccination to enter Ghana. This applies whichever passport you use.
- Six months' validity. The passport you travel on must have an expiry date at least six months after the date you arrive.
If you are planning a trip home, our Christmas guide to flying to Ghana covers routes and timing, and our Ghana flights page has the current options.
Nigeria
The FCDO's Nigeria page says you must have a visa to enter Nigeria as a visitor, that applications go through the Nigerian Immigration Service online portal before you travel, and that visa on arrival is no longer available. Passports need to be valid for at least six months beyond arrival, and a yellow fever certificate is required, with exemptions for infants of 8 months or younger and adults aged 61 or over.
That covers a British passport. What the pages we could access do not tell us is how Nigerian authorities want a British-Nigerian dual national to enter. Many families enter on the Nigerian passport, and we have seen the same advice repeated widely, but we could not find a published rule from the Nigerian Immigration Service or the Nigeria High Commission that we are willing to quote as fact. Ask the High Commission in London in writing, and keep the reply with your travel documents.
If your Nigerian passport has expired, renew it well before you book. Renewal is done through the Nigeria High Commission, and queues change through the year. See our Christmas guide to flying to Nigeria and our Nigeria flights page.
Kenya
The FCDO says you must apply online for an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) before travelling to Kenya, and recommends applying at least two weeks before departure through the official Kenya eTA site. Your passport must have an expiry date at least six months after arrival and at least two blank pages.
Kenya's constitution and citizenship law allow dual citizenship, and Kenyan citizens are widely reported to be exempt from the eTA. The FCDO page does not state this, so confirm with the Kenya High Commission in London or the official eTA site whether it applies to you and which passport you should enter on. Do not assume that a Kenyan ID card or an old Kenyan passport is enough on its own.
For everyone else on the booking, such as a British-only partner or children, the eTA applies as normal. Our guide to flying home to Kenya and the Kenya flights page have the route and booking details.
Zimbabwe
This is the country where official sources and real-world experience differ most, so read it carefully.
What the FCDO says. British passport holders need a visa to visit Zimbabwe. Most get one on arrival, usually granted for 30 days, and it is possible to apply for an e-visa in advance. Your passport must have an expiry date at least six months after arrival and, according to the FCDO, three blank pages. The FCDO's Zimbabwe page does not set out how dual nationals should enter.
What the courts have said. Zimbabwe's constitution recognises citizenship by birth, and the Constitutional Court (Mawere v Registrar General, case reference CCZ 4/15) held that dual citizenship is not prohibited for citizens by birth. In a later High Court case, Kirstein, reported as decided in 2019, the court is reported to have found it unlawful to charge visa-type fees to dual citizens by birth who present a foreign passport. These are summaries from a lawyers' network article; we have not read the judgments themselves.
What this means in practice. A court ruling and what happens at one particular desk on one particular day are not always the same thing. Reports of inconsistent treatment at the border are common, and citizenship by descent is a different question from citizenship by birth. We are not able to tell you what the position is for you. If you believe you are a Zimbabwean citizen, the safest route is to confirm your status with the Zimbabwe High Commission in London or take legal advice, and to hold a valid Zimbabwean passport. Our visa guide takes the cautious practical line of travelling on the valid Zimbabwean passport; this article is consistent with that.
If your Zimbabwean passport is expired and the trip cannot wait, such as a bereavement, read our guide to urgent flights to Zimbabwe for a family emergency. Route and schedule details are in flying from the UK to Zimbabwe and on the Zimbabwe flights page.
A note on South Africa
If you also travel to South Africa, the FCDO states that a South African citizen aged 18 or over must use a South African passport to enter and exit South Africa, and that using another country's passport is illegal. Anyone holding South African citizenship should check this with the South African Department of Home Affairs.
Which name and passport go on the ticket?
This is where a dual-national booking most often goes wrong.
- Book in the name on the passport you will show at check-in. The ticket name must match that passport. An airline does not issue a ticket first and sort out the identity later.
- Use the passport number of the same passport. Airlines normally ask for passport details when you book or check in online. If you enter one passport's number and show the other at the desk, the record does not match your document.
- Check how your name is written in each passport. Different spellings, a middle name in one and not the other, or a maiden name can leave the two documents saying slightly different things. Pick one and keep it consistent, and tell us before booking if your two passports differ.
- Changing the name afterwards can be restricted or costly, depending on the airline and fare. Sort the passport question out before you pay, not after.
- Each traveller decides separately. Parents, children and a non-dual-national spouse may all be entering on different documents. We take each passenger's details individually.
Which passport do I show where?
| Step | What usually applies |
|---|---|
| Booking | The passport you will use at check-in. |
| Check-in in the UK | The passport the ticket was booked on. Carry the other too. |
| UK departure | Many families show the passport used at check-in. |
| Arrival abroad | The passport that matches the way you plan to enter (as a citizen, or as a visitor with a visa or eTA). |
| Leaving the African country | The passport you entered on. Entry and exit records are linked to it. |
| Returning to the UK | The British passport, or a certificate of entitlement. |
Treat that table as a starting point and not as a promise about any one airport.
Exit and entry stamps
Where possible, leave a country on the same passport you entered it on. If you enter on one passport and leave on another, the immigration system may show you as having arrived and not departed, which can cause questions on a later trip. If you hold a visa or eTA in your British passport, do not discard the evidence of it until you have left.
Coming back to the UK
The FCDO pages for all four countries say the same thing: when returning to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. GOV.UK's dual citizenship page adds that British dual citizens cannot get a UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA), and can apply for a certificate of entitlement for UK entry as an alternative.
The Home Office has said that all carriers can now verify travel permission through automated digital checks. In practice, that means an airline is likely to catch it before you board if you try to fly to the UK on your African passport alone. It has also said that dual citizens have been advised to travel with a valid UK passport or certificate of entitlement since October 2024. Some temporary easements have been reported for people whose British passport has expired. Do not plan around one: renew your British passport before you travel if it is close to expiry.
If your British passport is lost or expires while you are abroad, contact the nearest British embassy or high commission for emergency travel document options. Note that GOV.UK also says a dual national cannot get British diplomatic help in the other country where they hold citizenship.
Expiry dates, blank pages and children
- Six months' validity applies to the passport you travel on for Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Zimbabwe, according to the FCDO pages.
- Blank pages. Kenya's FCDO page asks for at least two blank pages, and Zimbabwe's asks for three.
- Children need their own passport for each document route you plan to use. If a child holds both nationalities, the same questions apply as for an adult, and for some countries the child's route may differ from yours. Ask the relevant high commission what it expects before you book.
- Expired or lost African passport. Allow time for renewal. Do not book first and hope to renew in time.
What Travel Orbit checks before we issue a ticket
Travel Orbit is ATOL protected and an IATA accredited agent. We are travel agents, not an immigration adviser, so we do not decide which passport you may lawfully use. What we do before payment:
- ask which passports each traveller holds, and which they intend to use;
- match the name and passport details on the booking to that passport;
- check expiry dates against the airline and destination rules we can see;
- flag transit points where your passport choice may matter;
- point you to the official source to confirm visa, eTA or dual nationality card questions.
Send us your route, dates and passenger details through our enquiry form or email [email protected], and we will come back with options. If the booking is for a family trip to Zimbabwe, our Zimbabwe diaspora flight help page is the quickest way in.
Official sources
- FCDO foreign travel advice, entry requirements: Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice).
- GOV.UK, Dual citizenship.
- Home Office, Electronic Travel Authorisation factsheet (April 2026).
- Nigerian Immigration Service visa portal; Kenya eTA portal; Zimbabwe Department of Immigration.
Always check the current page for your country before you travel. Rules and fees change.