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UNITED KINGDOM

UK lifts quarantine for arrivals from several countries – but not Sweden

The UK government on Friday said it would lift its 14-day compulsory quarantine in England for 'lower risk countries' including Denmark, France, Germany and Italy on July 10th – but not for passengers travelling from Sweden.

Published: 3 July 2020 17:09 CEST
UK lifts quarantine for arrivals from several countries – but not Sweden
London Heathrow Airport. Photo: AP Photo/Matt Dunham

Travellers from Sweden will remain subject to rules requiring them to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in England, said the UK's Department for Transport as it lifted travel restrictions for a number of other countries.

“We have reviewed extensively the conditions in Sweden, based on a range of factors including the prevalence of coronavirus, the numbers of new cases and potential trajectory of the disease in that destination. Quarantine requirements have been informed by categorisation by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, in close consultation with Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer,” read a statement by the British Embassy in Stockholm explaining why the restrictions weren't lifted for travellers from Sweden.

A full list of countries exempt from the quarantine can be found here. From July 10th, passengers arriving from those countries will not be required to self-isolate on arrival in England, “unless they have visited or stopped in any other country or territory in the preceding 14 days”, according to the Department for Transport.

The UK's devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will make their own decisions on travel restrictions. But the latest news from the Scottish press suggests that the 14-day quarantine will remain in place in England's northerly neighbour after July 10th, with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon having been particularly critical of British PM Boris Johnson's approach to easing coronavirus lockdown measures. 

No decision has been made on whether Wales or Northern Ireland will follow England in lifting the 14-day quarantine on July 10th. Currently travellers arriving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland could face a fine of £1,000 ($1,247) if they fail to self-isolate for the full 14 days, and a £480 fine in Scotland. 

The UK currently advises against non-essential travel to Sweden, where more than 70,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus to date and almost 4,500 have died. 

Sweden on Tuesday lifted its recommendations against non-essential travel to 14 European countries, but its advice against non-essential travel to the UK remains in place, until July 15th. There have been more than 243,000 cases of the coronavirus in England to date, and almost 40,000 deaths.

The Swedish foreign ministry's recommendation is however linked to travel restrictions and the fast-changing global situation, which could leave travellers stranded, rather than infection risks posed directly by the coronavirus itself. Sweden's advice against travel is not a legally binding ban, but has other implications, for example that your travel insurance may not be valid if you disregard the advice.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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