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?

"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".

Indeed and the staff are onto this. I was recently in Germany and on both occasions the passport was stamped with both an arrival and departure stamp on the same page.

When the new EU visa scheme comes into fruition (and its been delayed yet again) UK and other non EU citizens can expect long lines on both arrival and departure into many European airports.

You wouldn't have been able to enter the UK post-Brexit without a passport, so they knew you were either a British citizen or someone who had entered the UK legally at some point. Regardless of your citizenship(s), it is reasonable that you would be asked for a passport or a current EU ID showing citizenship in order to enter and leave the EU from the UK; they want to amke sure you have the right to enter. It has nothing to do with the UK. The UK is fully a third country now; treat it as such.

Glad I wasn't behind you in the queue.

main pleasure is jumping the Brexit queues

I guess it depends where you are going. My experience this year on three trips to Spain / Lanzarote was that because of the volume of British tourists they have whole area dedicated to UK passports. It was far, far swifter getting through passport control in Palma and Lanzarote than it was on return to East Midlands or Leeds Bradford.

Your ID card is only valid for travel within the Schengen area. You were arriving from outside the Schengen so you need to show à valid passport.

Ideally as an EU citizen you would show your EU passport, you should use your EU passport leaving and entering the Schengen and your UK passport leaving and entering the UK.

However, if you don't have an EU passport, you need to present your valid UK passport and your EU ID card together.

This should be enough to avoid having your passport stamped as you you have both a valid passport and evidence that you have the right to enter / stay and don't need a visa.

It's not complicated, it's what many British nationals who live in the EU do when they come in and out of the schengen, provide their passport alongside a valid résidence card to prove they don't need a visa.

I doubt they thought it was as amazing as you did.

@AttilaTheMeerkat What documentation someone needs to enter the UK is very clear. What I am still debating is a) whether EU countries can refuse entry to a European citizen travelling from the UK on their national ID and b) whether I would need to apply for a Shengen visa waiver from 2025 onwards when visiting Europe from the UK.

@OfficerChurlish I know, but the interesting part was they wouldn't accept my EU ID and insisted on providing a passport.

Honestly reads like you were looking for a fight. Hope you re happy you got one and made some normal workers day harder.

I'm sure the onlookers where not impressed with you either

Are you normally resident in the UK? If your objection to getting you EU nationality passport is that it's too much hassle whilst you are in that country, you should be able to get a passport through their consulate in the UK. I rarely use my UK passport now and just travel on my EU passport (which I got through the consulate in the UK).

I'm not following. Which passport was stamped? The German (/other EU) one that shouldn't have been stamped at all?

I always change passports in this way and have never had it queried. I use the EU one for the flight and then the UK one at UK border control. The other thing is that my EU country (Poland) legally mandates that its citizens use its documents to enter and leave the country. This is sporadically enforced (occasional sad stories of parents living in another country who had a child and didn't get it a Polish passport being stopped from leaving).

This page states that EU nationals travelling from the UK (with settled status but I’m sure having a UK passport is same thing) to the EU are entitled to enter EU with their ID cards. https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/eu-nationals-living-uk/indexen.htm#:~:text=As%20an%20EU%20national%2C%20you,visa%20if%20they%20need%20one.

When the government banned EU schools from using ID cards to enter the UK, the school trips stopped, because so many EU citizens didn’t have passports. ID cards are usually issued free; passports cost money, which is why many people don’t have one.

On a recent school trip to the UK, my son’s school were allowed to bring pupils with just ID cards (agreement just between the UK and France). So clearly there’s no issue re entering the EU with an EU identity card.

Equally, EU nationals with uk settled status can enter the UK with just an ID card. My DH forgot his passport once, so had to go to the UK with just his ID card. He had no issue reentering the EU afterwards on the ID card.

I think it’s a border guard issue. They’re so used to stamping passports for arrivals from the UK that they’re not sure how to treat the dual citizens.

@Doctoralx Brexshit has been a farce from start to finish. It's like the UK took an intelligence test and failed. Whilst you may be technically correct in your reading of the published information about what you should / should not need to show, I don't think it comes as any surprise that the border officials are not yet fluent with it.

I would take the path of least resistance and leave the UK on a UK passport, and present your EU passport when arriving in the EU and vice versa. You'll still miss the queues, and if anyone says you don't need the passport, you can do it with the EU ID card, just get that out instead.

Oriunda

That page you posted states as its first sentence the following:-

The UK no longer applies EU rules on free movement, which allow EU nationals to travel freely with a valid passport or an identity card.

Its not a border guard issue; this applies equally across the EU which the UK is no longer a part of.

This. And since ETIAS will cost 7€ I would probably just get one linked to the British passport in case of emergencies. (Say you lose your EU passport the day before you're due to travel.)

Just to re-establish that I have a British passport and an EU national ID. My EU passport has expired and the hassle of renewing it is too much for me to even to consider it. If I ever go back home is for short holidays only, and this is very infrequent as well meaning would not be a sustainable solution in the long term.

Border agents explained you enter and leave on your local one. They don't care which one you give to your airline.
Eg. You are slovakian/british
You enter and leave Slovakia on your slovakian passport and leave and enter UKon your UK passport.

We're not talking about entering the UK though, where EU freedom of movement no longer applies.

OP is specifically talking about entering the EU on her EU ID card (not an EU passport). Those of us who are dual citizens are just pointing out that she should have right of entry to a EU country, as an EU citizen, using her ID card.

Border guards can and do get it wrong. Before I had EU nationality, I had a valid residence permit which meant that my UK passport should not have been stamped. Yet, they kept on stamping.

You were being a jerk. You were travelling from outside Schengen in to Schengen so you need a passport.

Spanish website could be out of date.

If you are a dual national you need to enter the information of the document you are entering on (typically a passport) when you check in, my dd does this for the USA. As long as that document doesn't need a visa or any form then you are fine.

So in answer to your question, it depends if eu identity cards are valid on flights from the U.K. to European countries. My understanding is that it is not

Get an EU passport FGS. You don't have to apply in your own country, an Embassy or Consulate in UK will take care of it for you.

A passport is a valuable document, an ID card is not so valuable. I guess you have no plans to travel anywhere outside the EU? What would happen if there was any trouble getting back to UK (or getting to EU either), like the ash cloud/war/terrorism/strikes/whatever and your only means of getting to your destination was through a non EU country? You'd be snookered!

All this drama for the want of a passport, and all for the principle of checking up on the border guards. Honestly....

How did you get out of the UK with it???

Dual citizen here.

My understanding is that you must have BOTH passports when travelling. My (adult) child has been told off for just having the British one before!

You also need to send any other passport you hold when renewing your British passport. I’m not sure how this will work if your other passport isn’t valid anymore 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Re being able to enter the EU with an Id card, I thought that was ok. BUT I suspect a lot of the confusion comes from the fact you need a passport to enter the U.K., unless your SS is registered with your Id card. This in itself has caused many issues too!

You don't have to apply in your own country, an Embassy or Consulate in UK will take care of it for you.

lol you have no idea how complicated that can be depending in the country!
I think France is relatively easy. You still need to find a slot (not easy!), get the time to I travel during the week to the embassy in london and then you need to go agd pick it up. Closer locations available (not not that close demanding on where you live!).
Thats easy.
Italy as I understand is a real nightmare.

@ComingBackHome Ah I know, but it's still easier than having to travel to the country of origin to do it! And judging by OP's attitude to EU passports, it doesn't look like there is much urgency in getting one either!