eu id cards travel to uk

European ID Cards: Changes at the UK Border from 1st October 2021

It is estimated that almost a third of EU, EEA and Swiss nationals currently travel to the UK using national identity cards, rather than passports. However, on 01 October 2021 , the rules governing entry to the UK with an EU, EEA or Swiss national identity card will change.

Up to and including Thursday 30 September 2021, all EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can use their national identity card to enter the UK. However, from Friday 01 October 2021, this will no longer be possible for most EU, EEA and Swiss citizens. Instead, a valid passport must be shown at the UK border. The passport must be valid for the entire duration of the traveller’s stay in the UK.

While this change will apply to the majority of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, some exceptions apply. Certain EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may continue to enter the UK using only their national identity cards, up until at least 31 December 2025 . This will only apply to you if you fall into one of the categories below:

You have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

If you have been granted either pre-settled status or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you can enter the UK by showing the identity document linked to your online status. This could be your passport, or your national identity card.

Before you travel, you should ensure that you update your online account with all valid travel documents (such as passports or national identity cards) that you hold and intend to use for travel, to avoid any unnecessary delays at the border. You can check, or change, the identity document linked to your status under the EU Settlement Scheme on the GOV.UK website .

You have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, but not yet received a decision

On 25 August 2021, the UK government updated its guidance to confirm that EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who applied to the EU Settlement Scheme before the 30 June 2021 deadline, but have not yet received a decision, can continue to use their national identity card to enter the UK after 01 October 2021, while they are waiting for the decision on their application.

If your application is pending, UK border guards will be able to check your pending status automatically at the border using the documents registered, so your travel in and out of the country will not be affected while your application is being processed. 

You have an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit

If you have an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit , you may continue to enter the UK after 01 October 2021 by showing an EU, EEA or Swiss national ID card.

You have a Frontier Worker Permit

If you have a permit under the Frontier Worker Permit Scheme , you may continue to enter the UK after 01 October 2021 by showing an EU, EEA or Swiss national ID card.

You are an S2 Healthcare Visitor

If you have been authorised to receive planned healthcare in the UK under the ‘S2 arrangement’ , or you’re accompanying or joining someone who is, you may continue to enter the UK after 01 October 2021 by showing an EU, EEA or Swiss national ID card.

You are a Swiss national and have a Service Provider from Switzerland visa

If you work for a company based in Switzerland and have a Service Providers from Switzerland visa, you may continue to enter the UK after 01 October 2021 by showing a Swiss national ID card.

British and Irish citizens

If you are a British citizen and have a Gibraltar identity card, you can continue to use this to travel to the UK after 01 October 2021.

If you are an Irish citizen and have a passport card, you can continue to use this to travel to the UK  after 01 October 2021.

Non-EEA citizens

Please note that if you’re a non-EEA family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you will need to show your valid national passport. You cannot use an Article 10 or Article 20 residence card issued by an EEA member state to enter the UK.

If you are a non-EEA citizen, you must travel with a valid national passport.

Other Documents That EU or Swiss Visitors May Need to Show at the UK Border

Whether you are entering the UK with a national identity card or a passport, there may be other documents that you will need in order to enter the UK as a Visitor .

Contact Our Immigration Barristers

EU, EEA or Swiss nationals who wish to visit the UK and wish to discuss their visit with one of our immigration barristers should contact us on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.

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Airlines must allow European visitors to travel to UK on ID cards, says watchdog

Citizens of schengen zone countries have a right to travel using id cards, airlines have been reminded, article bookmarked.

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Some airlines are unnecessarily stopping European travellers from travelling to the UK due to a misunderstanding of post-Brexit travel rules, a watchdog has said.

In several cases, airlines have demanded that travellers show proof of British residency under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) and have refused to accept valid European national ID cards for travel, according to the Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA).

The rejected customers have included EU citizens, as well as those from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland – non-EU countries that are in Europe’s Schengen Area.

These European citizens’ right to use their national ID cards for travel is protected by the withdrawal agreement agreed between the UK and EU during Brexit negotiations.

The IMA has written an open letter to all airlines to remind them of the Home Office’s guidance, which states that European citizens can use either their national ID cards or passports to travel to the UK.

Pam Everett, IMA’s director of operational delivery, said: “As the summer holidays start in earnest, we are concerned that incorrect procedures followed by airline carriers will cause unnecessary stress, even resulting in families missing their holiday.

“We hope this letter to carriers will remind them to ensure their staff are aware of the guidance from the Home Office in relation to citizens’ entitlement to travel.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with the Home Office about the EUSS and rights of entry to the UK.”

In its guidance, the Home Office says: “Carriers are not currently required to check an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen’s immigration status, or their entitlement to travel on a national identity card, when deciding whether to bring them to the UK.

“They only need to check that they have a valid passport or national identity card.”

The IMA is funded by – but independent from – the UK government.

It says it seeks to “protect the rights of EU and EEA EFTA citizens, and their family members, living in the UK and Gibraltar.”

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Can I travel to the UK with an ID card after Brexit or do I need a passport?

From 1 October 2021 you need a valid passport to travel to the United Kingdom (UK). If you become a UK resident on or before 31 December 2020, you can continue to use your ID card to travel between the Netherlands and the UK until at least the end of 2025.  

Visiting the UK

From 1 October 2021 you need a valid passport to travel to the United Kingdom (UK). The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For more information on travelling to the UK from 2021 . 

Dutch nationals living in the UK by 31 December 2020

If you become a UK resident on or before 31 December 2020, you are covered by the withdrawal agreement. This means you can continue to use your ID card to travel between the Netherlands and the UK until at least the end of 2025. You may need to show proof that you fall under the withdrawal agreement.  

UK ends use of European ID cards as travel documents

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Most EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will need a valid passport to enter the UK from Friday (October 1) as the government stops accepting national identity (ID) cards as a travel document.

The Home Office said such ID cards are “some of the most abused documents” seen by Border Force officers.

Last year, almost half of all false documents detected at the border were EU, EEA or Swiss ID cards.

“They can be easily abused by people attempting to come into the country illegally and by stopping accepting these forms of ID, the government can prevent organised criminal gangs and illegal migrants using them to enter the UK unlawfully,” said the Home Office statement.

Home secretary Priti Patel said: “We must clamp down on the criminals that seek to enter our country illegally using forged documents.

“By ending the use of insecure ID cards we are strengthening our border and delivering on the people’s priority to take back control of our immigration system.

“We are doing this as part of our New Plan for Immigration, which will be firm on those who seek to abuse the system, and fair on those who play by the rules.”

The Home Office said ID cards are “notoriously insecure” because some do not have biometric data, making it easier to falsify the data recorded.

They are more difficult to cross-reference with criminal record databases than passports.

A new ID card security standard is being introduced across the EU, but cards will still be in circulation for the next five to 10 years which do not conform to these standards.

EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme or with equivalent rights will be able to continue using ID cards until at least 2025.

Those without a passport from October 1 are liable to be refused entry to the UK – although Border Force officers will retain the right to exercise discretion on individual cases.

However, travel writer Simon Calder, writing in The Independent, described the move as “another nail in the coffin of inbound tourism”.

He said improvements over the past 15 years mean that ID cards are now just as safe as passports.

“The ban on identity cards will stifle demand even further. Every EU country except Ireland and Denmark issues ID cards,” he said.

“Typically only half the populations of these countries have passports.

“We will close our frontiers to more than 200 million prospective European visitors; make the UK appear even more unwelcoming; and crush the hopes of the millions of British workers who depend on tourists from abroad for a living.”

Picture by EQRoy/Shutterstock.com

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Government pledges new support to prepare for EU border checks

£10.5 million to prepare the Port of Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel for the upcoming EU digital border system.

• new £10.5 million funding to help prepare for new EU checks at the border in autumn
• money will support the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and Eurostar at St Pancras to help avoid queues
• comes as government continues to work closely with Kent partners to ensure smooth introduction of border controls

Ahead of upcoming changes at the border being implemented by the EU , the government has today (27 August 2024) announced £10.5 million to support preparations at the Port of Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel.

This autumn, the EU will introduce the Entry/Exit System ( EES ) – a new digital border system. Travellers from the UK and other non- EU countries will have to register at the border by having their fingerprints and photograph taken.

In order to reduce the risk of queuing and disruption, the government is taking action with this funding to help ports to install the necessary EES technology and complete work to get their sites ready for the checks coming into force.

Each port will receive a £3.5 million funding boost.

Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood said:

Nobody wants to see excessive queues at our ports, which is why we’re providing this funding to ensure our borders are as prepared as possible for the upcoming change – despite EES being an EU initiative. Since coming into government, we have been reviewing plans and closely supporting ports to make sure they have the right processes in place so that EES registration can be smooth and queue times kept to a minimum.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra will visit the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel today to see the ongoing EES preparations.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra said:

While EES checks will be a significant change to the EU border, we are working hard with the European Commission, member states and ports to ensure we are well prepared, and minimise any disruption for Brits travelling into Europe. This additional funding for ports will ensure they have the right technology and processes in place, so that EES registration can take place as smoothly as possible.

At the Port of Dover, this funding will be used to expedite work on the Granville Dock Project, where the existing marina at the Western Docks will be infilled and used as a site for EES processing.

At Eurotunnel and Eurostar, this funding will be used to install kiosks, in addition to those already installed, undertake rigorous testing to reduce the risk of disruption, and support recruitment and training of staff to contribute to smoother EES implementation.

The 3 ports have been making significant progress in their EES planning and are now on track for a smooth transition ahead of implementation later this year.

Today’s announcement forms part of the new government’s plan to prepare for EES , after the Home Office enabled French border officials to operate within an expanded border control zone at the Port of Dover, allowing more space to process passengers.

Emma Ward, Chief Operations Officer, Port of Dover, said:

The funding is a welcome step towards the significant investments we are making to support government plans to prepare for the introduction of the EU ’s EES scheme. We are doing all that we can to be ready with the facilities that will be used by French border officials operating the new system whilst we continue to work with the UK government to deliver more seamless travel between the UK and EU .

Simon Lejeune, Eurostar Chief Safety and Stations Officer, said: 

To ensure our customers continue to enjoy a seamless Eurostar experience as we prepare for the implementation of EES , we have made substantial investments in our station infrastructure. With support from the government, we have enhanced our facilities and upgraded our technology to meet the new requirements. Eurostar will be fully prepared and compliant by November, ensuring a smooth transition for all our passengers.

Yann Leriche, CEO , Getlink (Eurotunnel) said:

Getlink started working 2 years ago on the adaptation of its terminal for the new EES regulation – the focus has always been on customer satisfaction, delivering the most competitive crossing time and experience at the border for non- EU travellers. This funding will be used to test and add new technology on the UK terminal, that will be deployed during peak periods, providing more kiosks, if needed, in addition to the 106 already installed in the UK , plus the recruitment and training of staff whose focus will be to assist EES passengers. The Group has invested more than £70 million since the beginning of the process, designing and building a new dedicated EES Zone on each terminal, making sure that when the new regulation is introduced people will travel through the Channel Tunnel just as easily as they do today.

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