Authorities in the United Kingdom will no longer permit persons from the European Union, European Economic Area, or Switzerland to come into the country by presenting only an identity card at the border.
According to British authorities, starting from October 1, citizens from the aforementioned territories will be obliged to present a passport instead of ID cards, VisaGuide.World reports.
Even though such new changes will be implemented starting from the next month, not all citizens will be required to follow such rules, as there will be some exemptions applied to persons who meet specific requirements.
Citizens who have been granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme fall into the exemption category; therefore, they can continue to enter the UK by presenting an ID card after October 1.
Citizens who have applied for the EU Settlement Scheme, but have not yet received a decision, are also permitted to enter the UK after October 1 by showing an identity card at the UK’s borders.
According to British authorities, citizens from the EU/EEA or Switzerland who do not have a valid passport can be allowed to enter the UK despite the recent changes by showing an ID card when reaching the UK, if they have an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit.
At the same time, citizens from the territories mentioned above who have a permit under the Frontier Work Permit Scheme can continue to use their ID cards as valid proof of entry when planning to enter the UK from next month.
Furthermore, citizens from EU/EEA and Switzerland permitted to receive planned healthcare in the UK, under the ‘S2 arrangement’, will be allowed to enter the UK with their ID cards as a valid entry document. As for citizens of Ireland, they can also continue to use their identity cards to enter the UK after October 1.
During the time that the UK was a Member of the European Union, travelers from the EU, EEA was eligible to enter the UK by only presenting an ID card, following the EU rules which permit European and Schengen Zone countries citizens to enter each- other countries with such documents, however, such practice will no longer be applicable.
Besides, the UK’s entry rules are being considered stricter by EU travelers.
Besides the increase in the number of EU citizens prohibited from entering the United Kingdom, it was reported that many citizens from EU countries who applied for the settled status as part of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) were threatened with deportation, which is inconsistent with the withdrawal agreement of Brexit.
However, such reporting was denied by the UK authorities. The government of the UK previously stressed that all persons who could prove that they filed an application for such status by June 30 would have their legal rights protected.
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