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‘Total confusion’: Brits stranded in UK fear being unable to return to Italy

Britons left stranded by UK travel restrictions have spoken of their confusion and worry, as a travel ban means they are currently unable to get back to their homes in Italy.

Published: 23 December 2020 10:06 CET
'Total confusion': Brits stranded in UK fear being unable to return to Italy
A sign informs passengers of a terminal closure at London Heathrow on December 21st amid mass UK flight cancellations. Photo: AFP

*Note: since this article was written, Italy has updated its rules on travel from the UK. See the latest news here.*

Many British nationals resident in Italy are now effectively stranded in the UK after Italy on Sunday issued a ban on all flights and arrivals from Britain until January 6th.

Around 40 countries worldwide have now restricted travel from the UK amid concerns about a new, more contagous strain of the coronavirus.

Italy is now reviewing the decision after the EU recommended ending the blanket travel ban.

Italian ministers told media on Tuesday evening that “all residents” will be allowed to return to the country, however no further details were given and no offical announcement has yet been made.

Italy is expected to confirm changes to the rules on Wednesday.

The EU has made it clear that residents in the EU who are stranded in the UK should be allowed to return home.

And even if residents can return, many Brits who travelled to the UK to spend Christmas with their families say they are worried about getting back into the country.

That's because the Brexit transition period ends on December 31st – and many Brits do not have their residency documents yet, meaning they may find it more difficult to prove they are Italian residents.

Despite Italy’s tough travel restrictions over Christmas, aimed at discouraging trips, many international residents had to go back to the UK for urgent reasons – from visiting sick relatives to making final Brexit preparations.

Now after navigating two sets of coronavirus restrictions, including testing and quarantine requirements, and with fewer flights available than in previous years, they have come up against a total ban on travel back to Italy.

Flights to and from the UK have been cancelled in Rome due to the travel ban. Photo: AFP

After initial “shock” and “confusion” as the travel ban was announced, Brits currently unsure of when they'll be able to get home say they're now trying to stay positive.
 
Reader David Clark had to return to the UK in order to get access to documents needed by his accountant in Italy.
 
“We arrived back in the UK on December 18th. Now, no doubt like many we are stuck in UK, currently in self-isolation, not knowing by what means or when we can return home to Italy.”
 
“At least we have friends able to buy and deliver shopping, as there's no online slots available,” he says.
Amanda Jones emailed to say she'd found herself stuck in the UK without her partner after coming back to make final preparations after moving to Italy ahead of Brexit.
 
“I was due to fly out on the 22nd. I left Italy on the 17th to drive our UK car back to England to sell it,” she explains.
 
 
“It wasn't on a whim. We moved to Italy in October and with Brexit coming up it was unclear if it would be legal to drive or if our insurance would even be valid.”
 
“Our residency was only finalised recently (which we needed to buy the car) and with the lockdown rules, we had only been able to buy an Italian car in the last couple of weeks so there was only a small window of opportunity to get the car back.”
 
“I am lucky I have somewhere to stay while I'm here. My partner is well stocked up at home, but will be faced with having Christmas on her own.”
 
Amanda says she completely understood the decision to stop arrivals from the UK amid concerns about the new strain of coronavirus “but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with”.
 
“The shock has passed now and we're trying to stay positive but it's certainly a Christmas we won't forget anytime soon.”
 
 
British residents hit by the travel ban may not be able to spend Christmas in Italy as planned. Photo: AFP
 
Rona Westwell has also been stranded in the UK and is separated from her husband.
 
“We were returning home to Sicily after a brief trip to the UK to see my daughter who was ill,” she tells The Local.
 
“My husband returned to Sicily last Saturday, so as to be able to go out to food shop before the quarantine rule changed on Monday. I was to return this next Wednesday, but now we are stranded in two different countries on our own. Very upsetting!”
 
Au pair Annalisa Harris had travelled back to London to visit her elderly parents. She arrived days before the British government announced tougher restrictions in her area due to the new strain believed to be circulating in London and the south-east.
 
“First we were put under Tier 4 restrictions and now this,” she says. “It's been total confusion, very stressful.”
 
Annalisa had been supposed to return to work in Milan on January 4th, which now might not be possible. “Luckily the Italian family I work for have been very kind and understanding,” she said. “I'm really just grateful that I'm able to stay in Italy after Brexit.”
 
British nationals stuck in the UK and hoping to return home to Italy are now waiting for an update from the Italian government.
 
The British Embassy in Rome on Wednesday said it was providing information for those who may need assistance.
 
“We are monitoring the situation closely and working to ensure commercial routes to the UK remain open, but we continue to keep the situation under review,” said a spokesperson. 
 
“Our primary concern is the safety and security of British nationals overseas and our consular teams are available around the clock to support them.”
 
“Our travel advice is constantly updated and anyone can sign up to alerts on our website or follow our travel advice social media accounts to see the latest developments.” 

READ ALSO: Italy confirms post-Brexit visa rules for British nationals

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

How will the new app for Europe’s EES border system work?

With Europe set to introduce its new Entry/Exit biometric border system (EES) in the autumn there has been much talk about the importance of a new app designed to help avoid delays. But how will it work and when will it be ready?

Published: 7 May 2024 10:29 CEST
How will the new app for Europe's EES border system work?

When it comes into force the EU’s new digital border system known as EES will register the millions of annual entries and exits of non-EU citizens travelling to the EU/Schengen area, which will cover 29 European countries.

Under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), non-EU residents who do not require a visa will have to register their biometric data in a database that will also capture each time they cross an external Schengen border.

Passports will no longer be manually stamped, but will be scanned. However, biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images will have to be registered in front of a guard when the non-EU traveller first crosses in to the EU/Schengen area.

Naturally there are concerns the extra time needed for this initial registration will cause long queues and tailbacks at the border.

To help alleviate those likely queues and prevent the subsequent frustration felt by travellers the EU is developing a new smartphone app.

READ ALSO: What will the EES passport system mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The importance of having a working app was summed up by Uku Särekanno, Deputy Executive Director of the EU border agency Frontex in a recent interview.

“Initially, the challenge with the EES will come down to the fact that travellers arriving in Europe will have to have their biographic and biometric data registered in the system – border guards will have to register four of their fingerprints and their facial image. This process will take time, and every second really matters at border crossing points – nobody wants to be stuck in a lengthy queue after a long trip.”

But there is confusion around what the app will actually be able to do, if it will help avoid delays and importantly when will it be available?

So here’s what we know so far.

Who is developing the app?

The EU border agency Frontex is currently developing the app. More precisely, Frontex is developing the back-end part of the app, which will be made available to Schengen countries.

“Frontex is currently developing a prototype of an app that will help speed up this process and allow travellers to share some of the information in advance. This is something we are working on to support the member states, although there is no legal requirement for us to do so,” Uku Särekanno said in the interview.

Will the 29 EES countries be forced to use the app?

No, it is understood that Frontex will make the app available on a voluntary basis. Each government will then decide if, when and where to use it, and develop the front-end part based on its own needs.

This point emerged at a meeting of the House of Commons European scrutiny committee, which is carrying out an inquiry on how EES will impact the UK.

What data will be registered via the app?

The Local asked the European Commission about this. A spokesperson however, said the Commission was not “in a position to disclose further information at this stage” but that travellers’ personal data “will be processed in compliance with the high data security and data protection standards set by EU legislation.”

According to the blog by Matthias Monroy, editor of the German civil rights journal Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP the Frontex app will collect passengers’ name, date of birth, passport number, planned destination and length of stay, reason for travelling, the amount of cash they carry, the availability of a credit card and of a travel health insurance. The app could also allow to take facial images. It will then generate a QR code that travellers can present at border control.

This, however, does not change the fact that fingerprints and facial images will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing into the Schengen area.

So given the need to register finger prints and facial images with a border guard, the question is how and if the app will help avoid those border queues?

When is the app going to be available?

The answer to perhaps the most important question is still unclear.

The Commissions spokesperson told The Local that the app “will be made available for Schengen countries as from the Entry/Exit System start of operations.” The planned launch date is currently October 6th, but there have been several delays in the past and may be another one.

The UK parliamentary committee heard that the prototype of the app should have been ready for EU member states in spring. Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the UK Department for Transport, said the app will not be available for testing until August “at best” and that the app will not be ready in time for October. The committee previously stated that the app might even be delayed until summer 2025.

Frontex’s Särekanno said in his interview: “Our aim is to have it ready by the end of the summer, so it can then be gradually integrated into national systems starting from early autumn”.

READ ALSO: How do the EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Can the system be launched if the app is not ready?

Yes. The European Commission told The Local that “the availability of the mobile application is not a condition for the Entry/Exit System entry into operation or functioning of the system. The app is only a tool for pre-registration of certain types of data and the system can operate without this pre-registration.”

In addition, “the integration of this app at national level is to be decided by each Schengen country on a voluntary basis – as there is no legal obligation to make use of the app.”

And the UK’s transport under secretary Guy Opperman sounded a note of caution saying the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

When the app will be in use, will it be mandatory for travellers?

There is no indication that the app will become mandatory for those non-EU travellers who need to register for EES. But there will probably be advantages in using it, such as getting access to faster lanes.

As a reminder, non-EU citizens who are resident in the EU are excluded from the EES, as are those with dual nationality for a country using EES. Irish nationals are also exempt even though Ireland will not be using EES because it is not in the Schengen area.

Has the app been tested anywhere yet?

Frontex says the prototype of the app will be tested at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, in Sweden. Matthias Monroy’s website said it was tested last year at Munich Airport in Germany, as well as in Bulgaria and Gibraltar.

According to the German Federal Police, the blog reports, passengers were satisfied and felt “prepared for border control”.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

 
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