From Friday 1er October, European or Swiss citizens will no longer be able to use their national identity card to re-enter the United Kingdom. Brexit requires, they will now have to present a passport.
In a statement, the UK Home Office says the change will help“Prevent organized criminal gangs and others from abusing the system”, because identity cards constitute, according to him, a document ” Insecure “. According to the ministry, 48% of false documents detected in 2020 at the border were European or Swiss identity cards. These documents are “Easier to counterfeit than passports”, says the ministry, and some “Do not contain biometric data”.
Exception for the Irish
“We must crack down on criminals who seek to enter our country illegally using false documents, said British Home Secretary Priti Patel, quoted in the press release. By ending the use of these insecure ID cards, we are strengthening our border and responding to the will of the people to take back control of our immigration system ”, she added.
This new measure, announced a year earlier, is part of a vast new immigration plan aimed at marking a tightening promised in the context of Brexit, which Mr.me Patel described in the release as “Firm to those who seek to abuse the system and fair to those who play by the rules”.
The only exceptions to the compulsory passport: Irish nationals, and European or Swiss citizens with a status (temporary or not) of residence in the United Kingdom. They will be able to continue to use their identity card until December 31, 2025.
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