EU, EEA and Swiss citizens won’t be allowed in UK without valid passport

From today (October 1), most EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will need a valid passport to enter the UK as the government stops accepting national identity (ID) cards as a travel document, Report informs referring to the UK Home Office website.

These ID cards are some of the most abused documents seen by Border Force officers and, 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 organized criminal gangs and illegal migrants using them to enter the UK unlawfully.

“The UK has a proud history of being open to the world, and Global Britain will continue in that tradition. But we must clamp down on the criminals that seek to enter our country illegally using forged documents,” Home Secretary Priti Patel said.

However, the government remains committed to protecting the rights of EU citizens who have made their lives in the UK, and as we agreed when we left the EU, those in the EU Settlement Scheme or with equivalent rights will be able to continue using ID cards until at least 2025.