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British travelers will have a stamp in their pbadport every time they enter and leave the European Union in case of Brexit without agreement, confirmed the European Commission.
The announcement on border controls was revealed several days after the British government obtained a short extension that postponed the Brexit deadline to 12 April.
"The risk of a non-agreement scenario is becoming more and more likely," said an EU official. The EU's non-agreement plans on Brexit "can not replicate the benefits of being a member of the EU" and are not "mini-agreements or a negotiated non-agreement "but unilateral measures to avoid disruption on the part of the EU, said the official.
In an information notice, the Commission confirmed that British nationals would have the right to travel without a visa for short stays in the EU (90 days out of 180 days), if the United Kingdom agreed the same arrangement to the citizens of all members of the EU. States. "Your pbadport will be stamped both when you enter the EU and when you leave, so that this 90-day period, which does not include a visa, can be calculated."
At another return in the past, border guards may ask British travelers to provide information about the purpose of their visit and the livelihoods during their stay. The luggage would be subject to customs controls.
No agreement would also mean the return of duty-free status and the right of British travelers to claim a refund of VAT paid on the goods during their stay in the European Union, provided that they have the correct documents .
The commission also confirmed that British travelers would lose their right to health care thanks to the European health insurance card and that the telephone companies would no longer be obliged to waive the costs of medical care. roaming British travelers in the EU.
The EU is increasingly convinced that an exit without a deal on April 12 is likely after giving Theresa May a three-week extension in order to find a way out of the Brexit stalemate. The British government would only benefit from a longer extension if it decided, on that date, to participate in the European elections of 23 May.
Officials from the European Commission visited the 27 Member States to check on plans for non-agreement. Countries that trade extensively with the United Kingdom hire hundreds of customs officers and build border inspection posts to revive controls on animal, food and plant products. The Netherlands is planning to recruit 900 customs officers in the port of Rotterdam, France is recruiting 700 and Belgium 300-400. More than half of these officers are already working, and the rest are expected to be on staff by the end of 2019 or early 2020.
The plan for the Irish border remains uncertain. One official said the commission was in talks with the Irish government to ensure that EU law is respected. "[Checks] This will have to be done where they belong, but that does not mean we want to see visible infrastructure at the border, "said the official.
While the preparations were taken "extremely seriously", the delays could not be avoided: "Disturbances will occur and nothing will be smoother … There will be friction, it's pretty clear."
If the UK withdraws from the EU on April 12, the government will have six days to decide whether or not to pay its dues into the EU budget for 2019, thus allowing farmers, researchers and other UK recipients to receive EU funds.
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