EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad

(asked on 18th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what guidance his Department has provided to UK airlines on the documentation required by a UK national resident in the EU to board a flight to an EU destination after 1 January 2021.


Answered by
Wendy Morton Portrait
Wendy Morton
This question was answered on 21st January 2021

The UK Government is monitoring the situation closely and is liaising with the EU, Member States and carriers to ensure the correct rules are applied. Following the end of the transition period, new rules for the treatment of UK nationals at the Schengen border came into effect. UK nationals and their family members, protected by the Withdrawal Agreement, should be allowed to enter the EU provided they present documentary evidence of residence in the EU before the end of the transition period. They should be allowed to enter the EU without having their passport stamped, being subject to routine intentions questioning or being required to prove sufficient means of subsistence.

The Government has written to UK airlines regarding compliance with the new rules and documentation that should be accepted. This includes any document that credibly evidences status under the Withdrawal Agreement, including a residence permit; a certificate of application; a frontier worker permit or other documents that include an address in the EU. Those who present this evidence to airlines, along with a valid travel document, should be allowed to board and enter the EU, including Member States other than the country of residence for transit purposes. The International Air Transport Association's (IATA) TIMATIC service is also providing this information to airlines. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also established a dedicated contact route, on gov.uk, for UK nationals encountering disruption at the Schengen border.

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