Long passport queues for Brits at European airports could come to an end as Rishi Sunak seeks post-Brexit deal

25 April 2023, 14:49

Long passport queues for British holidaymakers at European airports could be a thing of the past, with the prime minister reportedly discussing improved access to e-gates with the EU.

Brits have faced long delays when jetting into Spain, Italy, France, Germany and other European destinations since Brexit.

But the UK government is negotiating for Brits to be able to use electronic passport gates in the EU, potentially slashing queues significantly, Bloomberg reported.

Queues for real passport control officers, which often include stamping documents, can cause big delays. E-gates can be much quicker.

Rishi Sunak is understood to have improved relations with the European Union. He is thought to want to use the better relationship with the EU to push for a deal that could let Brits get through European airports more quickly.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said he did not recognise suggestions Rishi Sunak personally is calling for greater access.

"As far as I'm aware there are no live discussions to that end but of course we will always want to find ways to minimise unnecessary waiting times for British nationals," the spokesman said.

But he added: "That would be welcome if there were wider use of e-gates for non-EU nationals, it's in both our interests and the interests of the countries which British nationals visit as tourists, for example."

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The official said the UK was "working closely" with the EU and member states to "understand the impact" of the introduction of entry and exit checks for British citizens.

"And our priority is always to minimise unnecessary delays for British passengers and some countries such as Spain already allow British citizens to use e-gates on arrival in certain circumstances," he added.

Reducing queues at e-gates would not solve the problem of long tailbacks of people trying to get on ferries, which has also been an issue.