Portuguese residents in the UK can travel to Portugal and apply for residency status after Brexit with an expired citizen card, which was confirmed today by the Minister of State for Portuguese Communities, Berta Nunes, in London.
“Yes, the citizen’s card is valid until the end of the year. The information is that there was no problem traveling with this card, which, in fact, did not expire because the Portuguese government decided to extend the validity,” Berta Nunes said to Lusa, during a visit to the Portuguese community.
“The British authorities are aware and there are no reports of any problems so far,” the foreign minister said.
The Portuguese government has extended the admissibility of the citizen’s card until December 31 due to the service restrictions provided by public services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This decision does not apply to a passport whose validity has not been extended.
Since the British government reopened international travel on Monday for non-essential reasons and included Portugal in the “green list”, which excludes quarantine compliance upon return to the UK, many Portuguese have been looking for information about the possibility of traveling with expired documents.
The foreign minister also repeated information that the British government facilitated the application process for the European Union citizens’ registration system last week. [EU Settlement Scheme]-Begin to accept ID cards that have expired in the digital process.
Whereas before it was necessary to request a paper form to apply for an expired citizen card, it is now possible to do so online and then mail the document to obtain the certificate.
In both cases, traveling and applying for residency, the foreign minister recommended using the permit available on the London Consulate website.
The measure was taken to relieve pressure from European consulates affected by restrictions imposed on the COVID-19 pandemic and to allow the largest number of applications by the deadline, June 30.
The Minister of State for Portuguese Communities is currently completing the second of a three-day visit to the United Kingdom, which aims mainly to assess the immigrants’ situation in terms of residency status and contact with society, which is one of the regions most affected by the Coronavirus. 19 Pandemic.
Today, the Minister visited several commercial and cultural establishments in “Little Portugal” in Stockwell, south London, and met with members of the Portuguese community.
He also gave an interview to RTV Lusa, in which he encouraged immigrants in the United Kingdom to take advantage of the “green corridor” and to visit Portugal because they are “always welcome”.
It also left a “message of hope” regarding “Brexit”, as fears and doubts about the impact of the process on society were overcome due to “an agreement.”
Regarding the UK’s new immigration rules, Berta Nunes recalls, “You only need a visa for those who come from Portugal to work. If you come to work, you need to bring a residence visa and contract.”
