Negotiations under way to let French visit on ID card
FRENCH national identity cards may be acceptable for travel to the Channel Islands in future, if discussions aimed at encouraging tourism are successful.
Ongoing negotiations between the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey and authorities in Normandy at the Regional Cooperation summit were revealed by Jersey Deputy Philip Ozouf to a House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee, during which he and Guernsey’s external relations lead Jonathan Le Tocq spoke via video stream from the UK embassy in Paris.
Deputy Ozouf said the discussions had been prompted after tourist travel between the islands and France fell ‘off a cliff edge’ as a result of Brexit, which has seen the reintroduction of passport controls.
These are a result of the islands being affected by the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation agreement between the UK and EU, on account of its inclusion in the Common Travel Area. Rules changed in October 2021.
‘The issue of the requirement for passports has become quite a big issue for us,’ Deputy Ozouf said, highlighting the fact that not all French nationals actually own passports.
The States issued a statement after the hearing, attributed to Deputy Le Tocq.
It said that given the Bailiwick’s position as part of the Common Travel Area, post-Brexit there are now new visa and travel requirements between the UK and EU, including visas and the acceptance of EU ID cards.
‘In respect of short-term students visits there has been some flexibility. However more generally, many French residents do not possess passports and use their national ID cards for travel purposes. This reduces the available market for French visitors to come to Guernsey for short stays, such as on the Manche Iles Express.
‘It is an issue that affects usually the islands, especially with regards to day-trippers and short break visitors from the continent, and has been raised with our regional counterparts, including those in Normandy at the recent Regional Cooperation summit.
‘It has been an area of regular discussion following the UK’s exit from the EU, in particular since the increase in travel following the lifting of Covid restrictions.’
