We’ve all seen for some years now just how difficult and frustrating it can be when a UK passport holder is held hostage in a foreign country, put in prison in a foreign country, or trapped in a foreign country during times of hostilities.
Whether that individual is born in the country that they’re being held in, or born in the UK can make all the difference I’m sure when it comes to the prioritization of “British subjects” under duress around the globe, and requiring the help of the UK government agencies.
Earlier this year I was in London. On the street I got speaking with a stall owner who came from Afghanistan. I asked him if he had been back to his homeland. He told me that he had only returned back to London 8 weeks previous, and that he had loved his time back in Afghanistan, and thought that the country was much better now it’s governed under the Taliban. This man has an Afghan and a UK passport, and is presently living in the UK as his primary residence. I’ve heard this from many over the years, happy to live back in their own country, while using ours for convenience sake only.
Just how many individuals are there in the UK with dual or even multi passports including being a UK passport holder? It is probably in the hundreds of thousands and perhaps well over a million…I don’t know?
I also have friends born and bred in the UK, but have since emigrated with their families to another country…the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc…and therefore have become dual passport holders.
I myself have lived in the USA for 10 years now, but I have no intention in becoming a US citizen, I have the UK passport, so all I would be doing is taking the US passport as a passport of convenience. I couldn’t bring myself to do that as I don’t want people having the UK passport for only convenience sake. I do however have a Green Card which allows me to remain in the USA, work and pay taxes as a non US citizen…the UK, and other “attractive” countries could do the same. If I’m in trouble overseas, only the UK government has a responsibility to help me, should they choose to do so.
Because in my view, if you hold more than your own passport, then one simply becomes a passport of convenience. So, which one is it? I suppose it depends on who you are, and what you’re trying to get out of it.
Many people want the UK or USA passport. Many get it. And many keep the one that they had before.
In my view with all that’s going on in the world today, I believe that you should only have one passport.
If you receive the UK passport, you should have to immediately go through the process of handing your other one (or one’s) in.
If you’re a UK passport holder because you’re from the UK, and you require another country’s passport, then you should have to hand in the UK passport.
I’ve never understood how people can have more than one nationality? I know mates over the many years passed who have said openly that becoming (which ever nationality) was one of the best days of their life.
Well, for the sake of UK only citizens, and governments having their feet held to the fire over getting out UK nationals with dual or more passports from a dreadful situation, I strongly feel that it’s high time that individuals choose over being a UK citizen versus “a” “n” other. Thereby ending the UK passport becoming purely that passport of convenience.
If you want to return to the country of your birth, then you return with the one passport that you hold…and live there under the guidelines of that country. If then, you require the services of a government to get you out from a bad situation, and they choose to take it on, it’ll be simply the country of the one passport that you hold.
There has to be tough rules for tough times, but in my view it’s time to stop the passport of convenience for reasons mentioned, and the only way to do that is to make the rules for everyone, no matter their disposition, UK born or foreign born.
Bob Shepherd 
Hello Bob, I have followed your adventures, read your book and generally support most of what you say. My own path was quite different and yet similar in some ways having spent most of my life in remote and far flung parts, now living in western Canada. However, I think that which you have just expressed is a very very narrow view for a Dundee boy (me too).If the argument was extended then you shouldn’t be in the US. Nothing to do with passport versus green card. UK citizenship/passport confers no rights to support from the UK when/if you get into trouble elsewhere. There is a common misconception that there is some kind of entitlement.FCDO is and always has been plain that it is not their job to get you out of trouble. They have demonstrated this continually over time.Support from government agencies has always been a political choice. A choice of the day. What you describe sounds very like the ‘US First’, ‘Britain First’ philosophy of a particular viewpoint. The kind that took the UK out of its leading position in what was one of the three strongest economic alliances and massively reduced its standing globally.The kind of trouble we are in these days is, in my opinion, more to do with the inward looking, border closing, distrust of ‘others’ that some very particular interests are carefully spreading.Good luck to us bothRod MacInnes
Hiya Rod, if we could agree on something as contentious as this, then we wouldn’t both be from Dundee! Again as many posts I write, I wrote it to create dialogue. I am aware that the government isn’t tied into becoming the cavalry over the hill when individuals get caught up in a nightmare scenario overseas. However, there have been many times in recent years where the likes of media coverage has really forced their hand. If it get’s to the stage of sending special forces teams in, then things get really dicey for many others, and not just the individual in danger. Hostage rescue (a big topic right now) is exceptionally dangerous…I know! Anyway, big thanks for your great comments, all the very best, Bob.
Yes, I encountered another Dundonian, who spent the last 17 years between Houston and Mozambique, at the start of the year. None of those surrounding us had a clue what the fuck was happening or since.Best wishes