“As of Friday 1 October 2021, most EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will need a valid passport to enter the UK as the government ceases to accept national identity cards as a travel document,” the official release said.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, identity cards are part of the most misused documents seen by border guards, and last year almost half of all forged documents found at the border were issued in the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
The change does not apply to those who are part of the UK’s EU transfer system or have similar rights and who can continue to use ID cards in the UK until at least 2025.
The interior minister commented on the announcement on Twitter Priti Patel said the goal was to “strengthen [the] border and implement the peopleโs priority of taking back control of our immigration system. “
“Strong to those who seek to abuse the system. Honestly to those who play by the rules,” he tweeted.
As part of the Brexit agreement, according to which the United Kingdom permanently withdrew from the EU in December 2020, London stopped the free movement of people from the continent.
Source: ANI / Sputnik
Source: The Nordic Page