Flying to Europe (Spain) with national ID from the UK

[Doctoralx]

I was almost denied entry to Lanzarote (Spain) using my EU national ID when flying from the UK. They said that post-Brexit they only accept passports for travellers from the UK despite the Spanish Government website saying that EU IDs are accepted for EU ctizens. I decided to put border control to a tough test and we had heated discussions for about one hour when I landed to Lanzarote. Border control and police could be simply clueless but they insisted on having a valid passport when travelling from the UK even for EU citizens. At the end I had to show them my British passport (I have dual citizenship) to move on with my day. Not sure what would have happened if I did not provide them with a passport but I doubt they would put me to a flight back to the UK since they would need to bring someone who really knows the rules.

That will also affect what are the rules for EU nationals travelling to Europe from the UK after the EU visa waiver kicks-in in early 2025. My understanding is that I should not need one if I presented my EU ID, but I have now second thoughts after my recent experience.

Does anybody have any similar experience?

Why all that fuss if you had your passport on you anyway

"I decided to put border control to a tough test" this is kinda like being a prick to your waitstaff. Don't make their already shitty working day worse by intentionally being a jerk.

@FrenchandSaunders As an EU citizen I can skip the long non-Shengen queues and also I wanted to see with my oen eyes what happens in anticipation of "That will also affect what are the rules for EU nationals travelling to Europe from the UK after the EU visa waiver kicks-in in early 2025. My understanding is that I should not need one if I presented my EU ID"

@nomorezoflora My response to your comment is same as to FrenchandSaunders. Delays were only caused because border control and police were clueless.

I thought EU National ID is only good fox moving within the EU but outside Schengen area.

I thought that to go from 3rd country to EU, you need a passport of some sort.

As a citizen of an EU country, you should get a passport for that country and then when you go U.K.-EU travel on EU passport and then when going EU to U.K. travel on British passport.

Yeah, here. The National ID card isn’t good for 3rd country to EU travel

”As an EU national, you have the right to travel freely in the 27 EU member countries as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (non-EU countries but members of the Schengen area) carrying either a valid passport or a national identity card (ID card).”

and
”Documents you need for travel to / from a country outside the EU and the Schengen area
As an EU national, if you are travelling to a non-EU country, you will need a valid passport and for some countries a visa. Check the list of non-EU/non-Schengen countries where a visa waiverapplies to EU nationals.”

You were going from nonEU to EU so you needed a passport.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/eu-citizen/index_en.htm

Thanks @SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice . This is what Spanish aauthorities at the airport seemed to claim (only after 30 minutes of discusions), although they seemed quite puzzled and unsure. However, the Spanish government webpages (including ETIAS page) says that someone could travel from the UK using their EU national ID. I have a British passport anyway as I would needed to return to the UK.
The next question is whether EU nationals travelling from the UK woudl need a visa waiver or not. Technically, my understanding is I shouldn't need one, since nothing prevents me for staying for as long as I wish in any Shengen country.

Do you have a link? My link was to EU page.
I went to the ETIAS page but could not find what you saw.

Whilst you may be correct, I think with Immigration / Customs Officers, it is much simpler to do what they ask, rather than argue.

For me, life's too short to go looking for confrontation...
...although it may be entertaining for fellow passengers to watch, as long as you are not holding up a queue.

I read that as internationally being a jerk, which also fits!

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles Without any doubt my fellow passengers had plenty of entertainment during those conversations 😀

@SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice Read under "Who does not need an ETIAS travel authorisation" following this link https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/who-should-apply_en

You’d probably save yourself alot of border guard troubles if you got a passport from your EU country of nationality?

Yes, but where does it say you can use an EU National ID card to enter the EU from a 3rd country like the U.K.?

The next question is whether EU nationals travelling from the UK woudl need a visa waiver or not. Technically, my understanding is I shouldn't need one

ETIAS will be modelled after ESTA which is linked to whatever passport you are travelling on. So if you travel on U.K. passport, the system will expect an ETIAS to be done. That is why I am asking, why not get passport from your EU because that will then fly through the security checks as you not needing an ETIAS

@SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice That's for sure. Only problem is I don't go back home often and if I go is for holidays and I have no time to spend applying and collecting a new passport, especially since I have other passports I can use and travel. I would expect I am exempt of needing applying to ETIAS as a A national of a European country requiring ETIAS, despite flying from the UK. To me is "rather clear" but not sure if border control wlll share the same views when I put this to a challenge in 2025 😅Border control staff are very poorly trained and only process passengers like cattle in a line.

I do this as I have dual nationality. I use EU on the way out and to enter a EU country and UK on the way back. This is partly because I can sail through on arrival while DH gets stuck in Brexit queue and can wait for the cases. However, It's been queried a couple of times as, if you change passports, there is no record of you leaving the country before coming back. It's further complicated by the fact that you have to register one passport when flying, so I sometimes change passports depending on whether IO'm checking in or passing through customs.

Without any doubt, your fellow travelers wanted you to just shut up and stop arguing so they could get on with their day.

I'm

@SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice Plan could be as following: Check in at UK airport using EU national ID (you can do this). Arrive to EU destination without ETIAS proving EU citizenship by showing EU ID. Return back home to the UK using British passport.

@MadKittenWoman Yes, but are you using your EU passport or an EU ID? And indeed, main pleasure is jumping the Brexit queues.

Am I reading this wrong

You need a passport to go from an EU to an NON EU, but not the other way round?

In which case OP is right?

You’re reading it wrong imho.

It says can only travel IN as in within or between the 27 EU member countries as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (non-EU countries but members of the Schengen area) carrying either a valid passport or a national identity card (ID card).

Then under the to/from a nonEU country title, it says you need a valid passport and possibly a visa. It is assuming as an EU National your journey will start and end within the EU, which is why the second sentence only refers to travel “to” a nonEU country. But the reverse would be true.

The overriding issue here is that you flew into Lanzarote from the UK. As the UK is non EU not ever entered into the Schengen agreement you would have been expected to carry a passport. You would have been checked at the UK to ensure too you were able to board because the airline does not want the hassle involved to fly you back if you do not meet their requirements.

If you had flown in from a country actually in the EU it would have been a different matter.

The National ID card isn’t good for 3rd country (ie UK or any country outside the EU) to EU travel. No UK citizen actually owns such a National ID card.

What you need to enter the UK
If you’re an EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or Swiss citizen
Irish citizens can continue to enter and live in the UK.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can travel to the UK for holidays or short trips without needing a visa. In other cases, find out if you need to apply for a visa to enter the UK.

You can cross the UK border using a valid passport which should be valid for the whole time you are in the UK.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can continue to use the automatic ePassport gates to pass through the border on arrival.

You cannot use an EU, EEA or Swiss national ID card to enter the UK unless you:

• have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man’s settlement schemes
• have an EU Settlement Scheme family permit, or the equivalent from Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
• have a frontier worker permit
• are an S2 Healthcare Visitor
• are a Swiss national and have a Service Provider from Switzerland visa