French national day trip visitors arriving on commercial passenger ferries will be allowed to enter Jersey using their national ID cards, under a new pilot scheme.
It is being introduced to address the “significant decline” in day trip passengers to Jersey following Brexit.
Rules were brought in requiring visitors from outside the Common Travel Area to show passports on entry.
The scheme will be in place for the summer, the government said.
French authorities said in February they would stop funding a ferry service to Jersey unless an agreement could be reached over the travel documents.
The current process is said to be difficult for many French nationals, who may not possess passports and instead rely on ID cards.
Arrangements will be made to make sure “robust measures are in place to ensure the security of the border is maintained,” a government spokesperson said.
The scheme was announced by Deputy Helen Miles, minister for Home Affairs, who said: “It is important that we are all working together to enable French residents to visit our beautiful island and give them the flexibility they need to do so.
“Jersey has a longstanding history and cultural links with France and my aim is to make sure we create opportunities for this to continue.”
Deputy Kirsten Morel, minister for Economic Development said: “This offers a great opportunity to improve our connectivity to France and provide a boost to our local hospitality and retail sectors by making it easier for French day trippers wanting to visit Jersey”.
Source – BBC News
