Travel blues of a Brit in post Brexit world

By Philippa Tracy

As a Brit abroad, you know you have a reputation for upsetting the locals. You may never have been involved in a drunken brawl. But even so, fair enough – collective responsibility. Inappropriate loudness, binge-drinking and Napa shagathons may not be your thing; but also fair enough. We now have another stick to be beaten with: Brexit. Every time I question an immigration officer stamping my passport at Larnaca airport, despite the fact that I insist on proudly showing my residence card, they shout “Brexit” at me. We didn’t all vote for it; I’m just saying. I’m not taking collective responsibility for that one. And I thought they weren’t even supposed to stamp third-country passports of residents?

Travelling in and out of Cyprus is not always a pleasant experience. And it is not just because I am a Brit in a post-Brexit world; the procedures are just not transparent. Someone should really explain the rules. For a start, why do you have to scan your passport? Do you, in fact, have to scan your passport? I observed the other day that some people just don’t bother. Whenever I do it, I am never sure if I will get a big fat X on the picture of my face or not. And when I do, what does it even mean? I got one last week. The immigration officer refused to look at me or to explain why it was there; he kept his eyes fixed on his computer, checking who knows what for a very long time. I wish someone would explain. But nobody ever does.

Apparently the transport ministry is confident that passengers at Larnaca and Paphos airports are receiving the high-level of service it is committed to and that it monitors closely. According to a statement issued by the ministry at the end of September, and in response to “media reports over Larnaca airport facing increasing complaints from passengers about long queues,” security checks generally take less than 10 minutes. Except every time I am travelling, it seems. I can’t blame this entirely on Brexit as no one particular queue is ever longer than any other. Although, additional time spent standing in front of an immigration officer, investigating the X on my passport print out, literally made me feel like a criminal. And you can feel the heat of irritation coming off the people in the queue behind who just want to finish their journey, get their luggage and get out of the airport.

As far back as November last year, I spent 45 minutes in a security queue to leave Larnaca at 6am on a Wednesday morning. Who’d have thought? I should have paid the €6 to fast track through. I nearly missed my plane. But I have learnt my lesson. Staffing challenges? Maybe? It certainly seemed that way, and judging by recent comments on social media, as well as my own experience, things have not improved much. But the queues are only part of the problem. Brexit is a bigger problem, for the Brits at least. Understanding the ever-changing travel rules is a minefield for which some sort of background in travel law is a definite advantage. Especially when the visa waiver programme, ETIAS, (European Travel Information and Authorization System) is introduced next year.

If you don’t have an EU passport, you need to pay attention before you travel. Already, you need to have at least three months left on your passport and it can’t be older than 10 years. In other words, the date of issue must be less than 10 years since the date of entry to Cyprus, otherwise immigration can turn you back. (In the past, the UK passport office used to add on unused time from old passports to new ones when renewed early). Pointless now. Post-Brexit, Brits are currently third-country nationals in Cyprus and constantly reminded of it. You can visit and stay in Cyprus without a visa for up to 90 days in every 180 days, assuming you have the right travel documents. That is regardless of how many trips in and out that you make, (and it doesn’t affect your time in the Schengen area – also 90 days). If you want to stay longer, it starts getting complicated. Are any Brexit voting Brits out there feeling any buyer’s remorse yet? I hope so!

On a positive note, a family member came to stay recently. He stayed for the full 90 days that Brits are allowed visa free. He booked a flight to leave at the 11th hour, literally, at 11.30pm on the 90th day. (That’s Millennials for you!) Having gone through security, the flight was then cancelled and he had to queue for a good half an hour to come back in through security. After midnight and it was still a lot longer than 10 minutes. Again, I’m just saying. However, maybe because it was late, nobody in immigration even questioned why he had gone out on day 90 and come back in a couple of hours later on day 91. He then got a flight out first thing the next morning and nobody batted an eyelid at three trips through passport control in 24 hours and flitting in and out of the country after 90 days, flagrantly contradicting the rules. Although admittedly, not entirely his fault. It’s a good thing the digital Entry/Exit system (EES) is not being introduced in Cyprus; they will be sticking to the good old passport stamping system.

However, the rules may become more transparent and consistently implemented when the ETIAS system is introduced next year. These rules are designed to improve border security. ETIAS means that those who currently travel to EU countries like Cyprus or the Schengen area without a visa, like Brits, will need an ETIAS travel authorisation from next year. It will be an online application that will cost less than €10 and should be approved within minutes. (In theory). However, those Brits who are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement, will not need an ETIAS. Beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement, are basically those Brits living in Cyprus who have a residence permit granted on the basis of residency prior to January 1, 2021.

And what is a residence permit, I hear you ask? Well, there are different types. I know because of the many hours I have spent in the Immigration Office Nicosia. It has also been endlessly discussed at my book group, so I am fully aware of the hierarchy of different residency rights. The gold standard of residency rights is applying for a Cyprus passport, of course. If you’ve been married to a Cypriot as long as some of my friends have, why wouldn’t you? Although you might wonder about the complexities of the legal status of dual citizens and having to answer to two governments instead of one. And let’s not even go there with how long it might take to actually get a Cyprus passport. That aside I have friends with residency based on Article 18(4) of the Withdrawal Act and those with the lowest level of residency: temporary residency, including as a third-country national Cyprus spouse.

Try applying for residency now as a post-Brexit Brit. If you are not able to demonstrate that you were here before the cut-off point of January 1, 2021, the temporary residency visa you’ll get based on having a Cypriot spouse gives you very few rights in terms of living in Cyprus and seems to leave you totally dependent on your spouse. Regardless of how long you’ve been married. As I said to a friend, after 30 years of marriage, most women don’t seem to get a great deal. Couple that with Brexit and welcome back to the 1950s, Brexit style. And when travelling, the “Brexit” shaming is blatantly gleeful at times. Do they really hate us? Maybe not, but sometimes it feels that way! They do at least let us use the EU passport lanes.