Compulsory passport entry into force for Europeans arriving in the United Kingdom

Identity cards will no longer be able to be used to return to the United Kingdom from Friday, which now requires European or Swiss citizens to present a passport, one of the latest consequences of Brexit. In a statement, the UK Home Office says the change will be allowed “To prevent organized criminal gangs and others from abusing the system”, because identity cards form a document, according to them “unsafe”.

According to their data, 48% of false documents found at the British border in 2020 were European or Swiss identity cards. these are documents “Easier to forge than a passport”, says the ministry, and some “Do not include biometric data”. “We must crack down on criminals who want to enter our country illegally by using false documents”, Interior Minister Priti Patel quoted in the press release.

“By eliminating the use of these unsecured ID cards, we are strengthening our border and responding to the will of the people to take back control of our immigration system.”, she added. The new measure, announced a year ago, is part of a broader new immigration plan to mark a promised tightening of Brexit, which Ms Patel described in a press release “Fair to those who want to abuse the system and to those who play by the rules.”

The only exception to the mandatory passport: Irish citizens on the one hand, as well as European or Swiss citizens with resident status (provisional or not) in the United Kingdom on the other, who will be able to continue using their card identification until December 31, 2025.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *