Advertisement

EU or non-EU? Which passport queue should Brits use after Brexit?

Ben McPartland
Ben McPartland - [email protected]
EU or non-EU? Which passport queue should Brits use after Brexit?
Photo: AFP

Brexit might have become reality, but Brits shouldn't experience any changes to travel within the EU until the end of the year. Although don't be surprised if officials, perhaps unwittingly try to usher you into the wrong passport queue.

Advertisement

At midnight on January 31st, the UK entered the so-called "transition period", during which negotiations on post-Brexit deals are set to take place.

That period lasts until December 31st 2020, unless it is extended on agreement by both Brussels and London.

But until then, British citizens still benefit from freedom of movement within the EU.

So while Brits may no longer be EU citizens they are still treated as such when it comes to travelling in and out of the EU.

That means joining the queue for EU citizens at airports, ports and railway stations.

But don't be surprised if you run into some difficulty with officials who aren't aware of the rules.

One British resident of Sweden reported his experience of using his UK passport at Stockholm's Arlanda airport early on Sunday morning, just over a day after the UK officially left the EU.

He was told he should join the non-EU passport queue, and added that the official he spoke to was unaware of the transition period.

At airports, Brits should use the EU passport queue rather than the non-EU or 'all passports queue'. A press officer at Swedavia, which runs Sweden's larger airports, confirmed this to The Local.

While travelling within the EU, there will be no roaming charges on mobile phones and there are also no changes to driving rules (in other words, a British licence is valid in the EU and vice versa, with no requirement for an international driving permit).

As for what happens after December 31st 2020, that seems to depend on what is agreed between London and Brussels during the 11-month transition period.

Although the British government's website suggest the rules "will" change from January 1st 2021 and that includes which queue Britons are supposed to join.

The government's advice website for travel after January 1st 2021 reads "Border control: you may have to show your return ticket and money"

"At border control, you may need to show a return or onward ticket, show you have enough money for your stay or use separate lanes from EUEEA and Swiss citizens when queueing".

The government also notes that the "guarantee of free mobile roaming may end". 

 

 

 

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

Anonymous 2020/02/10 13:51
Nobody seems to know the answer. I Brit and my wife French visit our daughters in the uk a few times a year. We will obviously be in the same (French registered) car. Which lane should we join in Calais and Dover? I am quite sure we are not the only couple in this situation and after 47 years marriage never expected this.

See Also