Entry to the UK for EU citizens only with a passport

As of Friday, October 1, the identity cards of citizens of Greece and the rest of the European Union when traveling to the United Kingdom are no longer accepted. Excluded are those who have acquired the right of permanent residence or pre-settled resident and have declared it to the immigration service of the Ministry of Interior.

This is a measure provided for in the Brexit agreement and, according to Interior Minister Priti Patel, the aim is to better control the borders and prevent criminals from entering the country with forged documents.

Moreover, from Monday 4 October, entry to England will be simplified for those traveling from abroad. First of all, the three-zone system of red-orange, green, which has been imposed due to the pandemic, is abolished and it ranks each country according to its epidemiological picture. There will only be “red” countries, which will be subject to very strict criteria and a high-cost procedure for one of them to travel to England, even if he is a British citizen. This list currently includes 54 countries, most far from Europe except Montenegro and Tunisia.

For all other states, fully vaccinated travelers will no longer need to take the test before departure. It is still necessary to complete the PLF (Passenger Locator Form) document, the vaccination certificate as well as another test that will be done on the second day of their arrival. But the test from mid-October is expected to become much cheaper and even bought in supermarkets, according to government sources. It is typical that its cost can fall even to 5 pounds (about 6 euros).

It is recalled that the new conditions for travel to Britain apply only to fully vaccinated. The rest will still have to do two expensive coronavirus tests.