Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Nobody mentioned this

British holidaymakers in Europe could face five-hour delays at passport control thanks to additional security checks in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Alicante in southern Spain would be  badly affected because 43 per cent of arrivals there are British.

If the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, Alicante would need the extra staff and resources to deal with an extra 201 hours of immigration checks every day.

Currently, the only check that EU airport officials make on a British passport is that it belongs to the passport holder. Previously, you just showed your passport to the National Policeman in the booth and then passed through. Now there are electronic gates but still it is a simple check.

But from 11pm GMT on 29 March 2019, in the event of a no deal Brexit, UK travellers will become “third-country nationals” and therefore subject to the standard rules of admission for citizens of nations such as the US, Japan and Australia.

This means there is no automatic right of entry, and border officials may ask for evidence of “sufficient means of subsistence” for the intended stay and return – such as return ticket, accommodation reservations or an invitation letter to a conference.

Although the article I read refers to holidaymakers, those of us who are residents with British passports could be equally effected. After all, we would be in the same queue from the plane.

PS Whether Britain crashes out or not, you are advised to change your driving license from a UK version to a Spanish one before the 29th.

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