David Manning has lived in the UK for 38 years and has the right to live and work in the UK – but has been forced to stay in Turkey for a month after facing passport issues

A man has been left ‘stranded’ after he was denied entry back to the UK after celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary in America. Originally from New Zealand, David Manning called Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire ‘home’ for 38 years.

Although he still has a New Zealand passport, David has a certificate of entitlement proving he has the right of abode in the UK. This means he can live and work in the UK without any restrictions.

On March 17, David was due to fly back on a British Airways (BA) flight to London Heathrow from Las Vegas with his wife Sarah, but was denied boarding. “On March 17, it all went pear-shaped,” said David.

The 59-year-old was told by BA staff that he couldn’t board the plane as his certificate of entitlement was not uploaded to his passport. David has had his passport for seven years, and said he hasn’t had trouble travelling before.

A Home Office spokesperson 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.” CambridgeshireLive understands that the Home Office will be in contact with Mr Manning regarding his situation.

“I can’t change what’s happened to me, but the key thing is I am frustrated,” he said. He said he was supposed to manually upload his right to abode to his current passport, but did not realise that this was now the case.

He added: “I have travelled with this passport for seven years just fine. I have the right to abode, but it’s not on the passport. How am I meant to know that the electronic certificate of entitlement hasn’t been transferred?”

As a result, David was unable to board his flight home, and his wife Sarah was left to travel alone. “I was left stranded – it wasn’t a great way to end our anniversary,” he said.

As he couldn’t get home, David then bought a ticket to Heathrow to fly onto Istanbul in Turkey, where he and his wife own a flat. He was able to transit through the airport, but would not have been able to go through border control and enter the country.

Since he has been in Turkey for nearly a month, he has had to apply through an agency for the Windrush Scheme. This allows people to get proof of their right to be in the UK if he came to the UK from any country before December 31, 1988, which he did.

Through this, he has had to provide evidence including his driving licence, NHS documents, council tax documents and more. He now has to wait to hear when he can get this.

David said: “The process could take months. Again, I can’t change what has happened to me, but my frustration is at the system.”

The Home Office spokesperson added: “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.”