Port of Dover

Once biometric data is collected for the first time, it is expected subsequent EU passport controls for British nationals will be quicker as their passport will not need to be stamped.

I’m happy with this. All countries should know who’s coming in or out. Of course it’s important.

Let’s just hope the commensurate numbers of staff are manning the booths is all.

Let’s hope the commensurate number of staff are employed at Heathrow too. Any tourists thinking of coming to the U.K. will be well and truly deterred.

vegansrock I remember flying into Heathrow, before Brexit, from Australia very early one morning. Everyone had to queue for ages in a stairwell.

Our cards that we have to prove permanent residence in France already have our fingerprints.

Heathrow is much worse now.

Mamie, are the residency cards used for the 90 day rule in reverse somehow?
Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Joseanne

Nothing to do with passports, but talking travel abroad, does anyone know if my car now needs a crit'air vignette while in France? I don't want any pesky fines.

Yes, in the low emission areas.

Thank you Katie59 and Mamie.

Why have you got a residency card Mamie? My friend who has lived here for over 40 years is getting her French nationality through her children, to save having to sit the exam?

Residency cards (carte de séjour in France) have been issued to all British residents domiciled permanently in the EU before Brexit. We actually first got ours back in 2016 when they were not mandatory and exchanged them for new cards issued under Article 50 of the Withdrawal Agreement in 2021.
It means that we can continue to live permanently in France, but do not have the right to change countries. Our passports don't get stamped as the 180 day rule does not apply to us.
Getting nationality is a lengthy and complicated process and we did not feel the need to do that. It felt important for younger, working people to do that.
Our son is in the middle of the process of getting Spanish nationality.

My partner has just come back from Paris on Eurostar. Apparently, lengthy queues were building up at the Gare du Nord because the biometric facial recognition technology wasn't recognising people, who then had to go through traditional ID checks. So much for technology speeding things up!

I thought that about fingerprints! Given the length of time it took to get all my fingerprints the first time, I would hate to stand around while they checked them. ?

DD2 has just taken delivery of a new car and phoned Brittany Ferries to change the registration number and the height details for next week.
Apparently they are inundated with requests from people wanting to get on their boats due to the situation at Dover.

Mamie By all that I have heard, if you are over 65 years old and your children are French born, it is easy. You don’t have to sit ‘The Exam’.

But that is your decision. Sorry if you think I am too pushy.

Our children are UK born Mokyrna. Our son has lived in Spain for nearly 30 years and his wife and children are Spanish so citizenship is logical. I probably could have got it reasonably easily because of serving on the Conseil Municipal, but the dossiers for the first Titre de Séjour took about 40 hours of work and it felt like too much to take on another two years of l'administration. ?
We won't move from France so I think we are fine with what we have got. ?

Since Brexit we are unable to vote in any French elections. We were able to vote in local elections but can not longer do so. if we became French nationals we would be able to vote in all elections. However, I am British and always will be so have no wish to become French.

Dinahmo. I have read that British born will have the right to vote reinstalled, but that has been promised many times over the last ten years.
Is it true that people can sign up to become a member of the Conservative Party for £25 and then vote for the next leader, after the one that is happening now? I know they accept overseas membership. I’m being wicked.
Can the same be done for thé Labour Party?

Yes we have kept our Labour Party membership. There is an overseas branch and there are meetings in France.
I think we are getting our UK elections vote restored, but it is a slow process apparently.

Mamie so you can vote for the leader still?

Yes absolutely. You need to join about 3 months before I think?

I joined the LP when Corbyn was standing in the leadership elections. At the time I thought he was a breath of fresh air but have changed my opinion of him more recently. However, I think that I will be able to vote in the next GE before I'm time barred.

The problem is, imo that the people in society that were most in need of Corbyns political ideals are the very people that are now voting Conservative. I keep reading comments from fellow Labour party members who say they can’t support a party led by Keir but it’s the only way to drag the country away from the far right who are now dominating British politics (well, in England anyway). I’m so afraid of where this country is heading and can’t face another Conservative election victory.

It costs more money to join to Labour (£4.67 p.m.nearly£60) than the Conservative Party (£25) for a year but…just 3 months before hand would allow a person to vote.
However, I am more worried as to who might pop up again and £25 seems not too much to block them.

MayBee70 I agree with you. Most of the policies in the manifesto for the last GE were excellent. Unfortunately Corbyn wasn't very good at interviews, getting very tetchy with the interviewers, not wanting to answer some questions and also allowing his anger to show. Not a good look I thought.