British schoolboy, 9, denied boarding by airport security told he cannot travel back to UK with his family

Oliver Partridge
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:35:53 +0000

A nine-year-old Cardiff schoolboy has been left stranded in Romania alongside his mother after border officials refused to let him return to the UK following a family rugby trip.

David Toropu, who was born in Wales and has lived there his entire life, was stopped at Milan airport last Thursday when attempting to board a flight to London Gatwick.

The family had been enjoying a four-night rugby tour in Venice during the Easter holidays when they encountered the unexpected obstacle while trying to board a Ryanair flight.

UK border control informed them they held no record of David's residency in Britain, despite the child attending school in Wales and having left the country only once before.

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David's parents are both Romanian nationals who moved to the UK a year before he was born in 2016.

His mother, Christina, holds pre-settled status, while her husband has settled status.

Christina believed her son would automatically receive British citizenship after seven years of continuous residency in the country.

"I wasn't aware that I needed to apply for his own status because since he was born in 2016, after seven years of continuous residency, he was supposed to get automatic British citizenship," she told the Mirror.

"Because I thought that was given automatically to him, he wouldn't need to have his own settled or pre-settled status since he would have dual citizenship. However, the rules have changed since Brexit, and I wasn't aware of that".

The ordeal has taken a severe emotional toll on the family.

"Since he was denied, I've had multiple panic attacks, I'm losing my head and I can't stop crying," Christina said.

David is accustomed to his daily routines and the comfort of his home, his mother explained.

The youngster overheard the entire conversation when he was refused entry and began asking what would happen to him.

"In his mind, he was thinking they were going to take me back to the UK and leave him in Italy," the mother added.

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At the airport, she attempted to resolve the situation by applying for an electronic travel authorisation, which officials rejected as the visa is designed for visitors rather than residents.

The family has spent approximately £2,000 on accommodation, flights and applications in under a week.

Their stepson's rugby team has established a crowdfunding page to help cover expenses.

Christina now fears David will miss significant time at school, while she may have to postpone important medical appointments back home.

While Christina remained in Italy with David for two additional nights, her husband and stepson flew back to Britain so her stepson could attend school and her husband could return to work.

The mother and son subsequently travelled to Romania to stay with relatives.

The UK Government introduced new travel regulations in February requiring dual nationals to present either a British passport or a digital certificate of entitlement to the right of abode.

Previously, dual nationals could enter using their non-British passport without such documentation.

Alex Davies-Jones, David's constituency MP, described the situation as "clearly a very distressing experience for both David and his mum" and confirmed her office was working to resolve matters swiftly.

A Home Office spokesman confirmed the necessary documentation has now been granted.