Michael Gove discusses changes to EU travel after Brexit

British citizens attempting to return to their homes in Europe have been barred from boarding flights after Brexit, despite having valid proof of residency. Dozens of reports have surfaced of airlines blocking Britons from boarding, over claims they do not have valid proof of resident status in countries such as Spain, Italy and Germany.

On January 2, British expats hoping to return to their homes in Spain were blocked from boarding their pre-booked flights after airline staff claimed their ID documents were no longer valid after Brexit.

Nine Britons were caught up in the ordeal, as they attempted to board a plane travelling from London Heathrow to Madrid.

But the move by British Airways and Iberia staff was made in error, as Spanish and British authorities previously agreed their existing paperwork would be sufficient to allow re-entry once the EU transition period ended on December 31, 2020.

The UK’s embassy for Spain wrote on Twitter: “This should not be happening, the Spanish authorities have reconfirmed again this evening that the green residency document will be valid for travel to return to Spain as stated in our travel advice.”

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After the mix-up, a spokesperson from the Foreign Office confirmed: “We have worked closely with the Spanish Government to resolve these issues.

“The Spanish Embassy in London has re-confirmed today that both the green residence certificate and the new residence TIE card are equally valid in terms of proving residence in Spain, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement.”

Spain’s Foreign Ministry added there had been “an isolated communication problem with some airlines that affected a very small number of travellers” and that air traffic between the UK and Spain was proceeding “with normality” by mid-Sunday.

Iberia said in a statement late Sunday that a communication from Spain’s border police on New Years Day had created “some confusion” and that it was later clarified.

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BA said in a statement: “In these difficult and unprecedented times with dynamic travel restrictions, we are doing everything we can to help and support our customers.”

But Spain wasn’t the only country to refuse entry to British expats.

Travellers to Pisa, Italy, and Berlin reported similar hurdles in boarding planes operated by Ryanair and Lufthansa despite carrying the appropriate travel documents.

Thirty people were blocked from flying to Pisa from Manchester on Saturday.

Dr Caitlin Procter, a professor at the European University Institute in Florence, was among those stopped from travelling to Italy.

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She was told she must have either an Italian passport or new photo-ID residency card to board the Ryanair flight.

She told the Telegraph: “I travelled home to Sheffield to be with my Mum at Christmas.

“I followed all the rules, and it’s ridiculous that airlines somehow have the authority to decide who can travel. It’s a rude wake-up to Brexit.”

Several British travellers reported on social media that they were unable to return home to Germany, despite having evidence of a work contract, German tax number and health insurance card.

Matt Bristow, a spokesman for the British in Germany association of residents in that country, said: “This appears to be a case of UK airport staff not knowing what documents to accept or applying the rules more stringently than the German border police would.”

The chaos at the airports appears to have caused by Europe’s strict travel restrictions in the wake of a new coronavirus variant that emerged in the south-east of England.

Following the discovery of the new strain, many European nations have banned all travel from the British Isles except for their own nationals and those with residency rights.

At least a dozen British nationals have been denied entry to the Netherlands since the start of the year.

The Royal Dutch Marechaussee, the military police operating at borders, told the BBC the passengers arrived at Schiphol on non-essential journeys and, as they didn’t qualify for entry under any of the exceptions, were immediately sent home.

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