Brit baby stranded abroad as she 'can't fly home' from family's Spain holiday amid new UK travel rules

A British-born baby has been left stranded abroad after being barred from returning to the UK following a family holiday in Spain , due to recently introduced travel rules. Sarah Rodgers, 30, and her husband Philipp, 34, from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, were left gobsmacked at the departure gate when they discovered their 11-month-old daughter Lily - born in Scotland - did not have the correct paperwork to board a flight home from their holiday in Alicante last week. The couple, who also have a three-year-old daughter, Heidi, had been completely blindsided by new Border Rules for dual British Nationals which had only come into force weeks beforehand. The family now faces the daunting prospect of being stuck in Europe for several months while waiting for approval on a British passport for Lily, who was born and permanently lives in the UK but holds an Austrian EU passport. With Lily unable to obtain emergency documentation or a fast-track passport, and without the finances to fund a lengthy hotel stay, the family were forced to travel from Spain to Austria, Philipp's native country, to wait out the process, according to the Daily Record . Speaking to the Record, the couple described their "nightmare" ordeal, hoping to spare other families from finding themselves in a similar predicament. Sarah said: "It's just a ridiculous situation in my opinion. We just want to share it in case it can help other people. When we went on holiday we had absolutely no idea that we wouldn't be able to return home. "My husband has stayed with us just now to find out what's happening but he can't stay here for weeks because he has to go to work. No one we speak to can give us any answers, or any help in getting home. We have been passed from person to person, around each department and not received much help at all." The family set off from Aberdeen to Alicante on April 23. Entry regulations for dual British nationals were transformed from February 25 as part of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system rollout, a sweeping immigration shake-up requiring visitors to the UK without a visa to secure an entry document before arriving. The family, who had not yet obtained a British passport for Lily, went ahead with their holiday believing she would be able to travel on her European passport. Sarah said: "When we booked the flight it said if you are not British you'll need an ETA to return to the UK, but as we are British we thought that didn't apply to us. It was only when we were about to board the flight home we found out. Our luggage was already on the flight, they scanned my boarding card and said 'you can't board because your baby doesn't have the right documentation'. Her Austrian passport has her place of birth written on it, and also states it was issued to her from the UK. But they said that is not proof enough. "They removed our luggage and we had to go and pick it up from lost property. It was really stressful. It was 6pm. They told us to go to the help desk. We were there for two hours. They phoned the Home Office but we were still not allowed to travel so they said we had to go back into the city and go to the British embassy. My older daughter also flew on an Austrian passport and they told her she could return home because she has had a British passport." Electronics engineer Philip remained behind in Spain with Heidi in an attempt to sort out the problem, despite having work commitments waiting for him back home. The family spent £180 on just one night's accommodation in Alicante, only to be left stunned after their embassy visit revealed they could potentially be stuck for more than 10 weeks. Sarah said: "The embassy told us (Lily) can not enter the UK without a British passport or an emergency travel document. She was declined for an emergency document. They said it wasn't an emergency. They said the timeline to send me the travel documents was unlimited." The family disclosed that Lily cannot apply for an ETA due to her status as a UK citizen, and they have also explored the option of travelling to Ireland in the hope she would be granted entry and could then carry on her journey home, although this route may also be unavailable to them. Sarah said: "We realised we were going to be stuck in Europe for a long period of time so we booked a direct flight to Austria where we knew we could stay with someone for free and not have to pay hotels. "It's impossible to get through to the British embassy in Austria. We've applied for her passport but I read it could take ten weeks plus an additional four weeks if they need more info. There is no fast track option for a baby who hasn't had a British passport before. They needed original documents, which are at home, so the registry office in Aberdeen have helped us and sent them direct to the passport office." Sarah is equally worried that if Lily's passport application isn't processed within 90 days, she risks breaching EU travel regulations. She said: "We're lucky because we have someone we can stay with in Austria but if we didn't it would be totally unaffordable and you'd be stuck in a city you don't know. We were fully aware of the new ETA rules for EU nationals entering the UK but our child is a UK citizen by decent, living in the UK, and she has been denied access to return back home. The UK Government is failing their own citizen and has left us stranded abroad with no quick or easy way home." A Home Office spokeswoman said: "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."