UK Insists for EU to Permit Brits Use Faster Passport Gates at EU Airports After December 31 – EU Says No

Posted date: 23 Jul 2021

Britons travelling to EU after December 31 will most likely have to wait for extended periods of time, compared to what they’ve used to wait so far, despite attempts of the UK government to reach a deal that permits Britons to use the same gates as the EU citizens even post-Brexit.

A request of the UK Primer Boris Johnson to permit Britons to go through e-gates even after 2020, has initiated heated arguments between Johnson and Brussels representatives, who have immediately rejected the request.

All EU airports have two types of gates for arrivals, one for EU nationals and the other for third-country nationals. While Britons have used the first up until now, after December 31, they will join the second, which studies show will delay them by one extra hour.

UK’s request is considered by the EU Commission as an attempt of the British govt to keep the same rights as EU members, even while ceasing to be one, making known its firm position that such a thing is not possible to happen.

Despite the EU’s firm stance on this issue, the UK, which enables the citizens of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the US, Singapore and South Korea to use biometric passports to pass through automatic gates on arrival to the UK, has proposed a reciprocal agreement with the EU on this issue. The deal would enable EU citizens to use the same gates upon arrival in the EU, and vice-versa.

By the end of 2022, aside from facing delays at EU airports, British nationals will also need to apply for a travel authorization in advance of their trip to the EU.

On January 1, 2021, the EU will roll out the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which is a new travel scheme that has been established in a bid of the EU to know who will enter its territory before travellers even arrive at the borders. The obligation to obtain an ETIAS won’t start to apply until the end of 2022.

Alongside with the ETIAS, the EU will start the operation of the entry/exit system, which will among others make passport stamps unnecessary. The latter is supposed to reduce waiting times at the airports.

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GSP Admin