British business travelers being turned back from EU countries

Source: Schengen Visa Info

British business travelers are being turned back from European countries for going against post-Brexit movement restrictions that will be applied more rigorously once the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) is introduced in November next year.

Such a warning has been made by legal and regulatory professionals at the summit for entertainment sector travel buyers that was staged by the BTN Group in London last month, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

In this regard, the panel also brought into light the liability exposure for employers of non-compliance with the post-Brexit travel rules that were agreed upon by authorities of European Union countries as well as those in the United Kingdom.

According to a report provided by BTN report, speakers also said that for some roles involving EU travel, companies in the United Kingdom should switch to employing workers with EU rather than United Kingdom passports.

Previously it was clarified through the EU-UK Trade Cooperation Agreement introduced on December 31, when the UK’s Brexit period ended, that UK passport holders may be eligible to travel to the EU visa-free for 90 days in any 180-day period while stressing that visits for other work purposes require work permits.

“There has been a big impact. There is now a requirement for UK nationals to obtain a work permit if they are going to be doing productive work; productive work is essentially anything beyond attending a meeting,” EMEA advisory services manager for immigration and visa consultancy Newland Chase, Ben Sookia, pointed out in this regard.

In addition, he added that some EU Member States offer work permit exemptions to Britons visiting their countries for a period of fewer than 90 days.

Sookia added that all those who are getting the complex travel rules wrong are already reaping severe consequences.

“Each country has its own immigration rules. Denmark is a good example. If we send a model to Denmark and they declare at the border they are there for a modelling job, Denmark will immediately send them back to the UK. They will detain them until the next flight. We’ve had one issue with a two-year ban on going back to Denmark, which covers going into the entire Schengen area,” he pointed out, as reported by BTN Europe.

Since the UK officially left the European Union, travelers from both countries are now subject to different rules when planning to travel to each other’s territories.