French day-tripper scheme extended
The Committee of Home Affairs think the scheme will boost tourism to Guernsey
At a glance
French nationals are able to continue travelling to Guernsey with their national ID Card
The scheme has been extended to September 2024
There has been a boost in tourism since the scheme was introduced
- Published
A scheme allowing French nationals to make day-trips to Guernsey using their national identity cards has been extended.
The Committee of Home Affairs said the pilot scheme introduced this summer led to thousands of extra visitors to the island on direct commercial ferries.
Changes to the UK's immigration rules mean the scheme will not continue past the September 2024.
The UK plans to implement an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme that will stop French people visiting the Common Travel Area without a passport.
'Clear benefits'
Deputy Rob Prow, President of the Committee of Home Affairs, said: "The pilot scheme this summer helped bring a significant number of French nationals to the island, which has clear benefits for our tourism industry.
"As such we were very keen to extend it for another year but wanted to ensure we had fully briefed and engaged with the UK about our plans.
"We hope this extension will provide a further and welcome boost for tourism, however it is important to manage expectations that we do not envisage being able to extend it past September 2024 due to the incoming Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme."
The scheme is only available for those travelling on a day trip to Guernsey directly from Normandy or Brittany.
Passengers are unable to travel to the United Kingdom, Jersey, or the Isle of Man through this scheme.
Follow BBC Guernsey on X (formerly Twitter), external and Facebook, external. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk, external.
- Published5 October 2023
- Published2 October 2023
