Sorry to show my ignorance here, but it’s been many years since I last went to the UK and I feel completely out of the loop. I hold a British passport and a 10 year WARP residency permit. I don’t really do mobile phones and Apps, so would print my boarding pass, but have no idea what changes there are these days to flying to the UK for a few days?
Is there a queue to differentiate EU citizens from third country nationals, or does the WARP bypass that requirement? Are there any VISA requirement for a short visit, or any other documentation that might be required before flying? Are there any other changes or surprises that await?
No need for a visa as you hold a British passport.
Yes there’s a different queue for people from UK and other non-EU countries… although depending upon which airport you’re flying from, it may just be one queue (Bordeaux is like this for example). I think you may be able to use a WARP card if you’re traveling with family members who have a passport from an EU country, but I’ve never tried it.
Your WARP card does entitle you to avoid having your passport stamped as you go through passport control… Depending upon how often you travel, that may be useful. I always show my WARP card as I travel several times per year and don’t want to have to renew my passport unnecessarily early.
Only surprise is you can now buy cheap fags and booze via duty free.
Some airports have passport and facial recognition scanners, with entry/exit glass gates/doors, and a subsequent manual passport/residence visa control, but not all.
Clermont Ferrand doesn’t have any of that sophisticated stuff yet, but Charles de Gaulle did at 2E and 2F, at least (the terminals we’ve been through recently), and travel between 2G and the other terminals is now via an airside bus transport system, so in theory, once you have passed the scanner gates/passport control, you don’t have to do it all again at your next terminal within the same airport.
Re: queues: CDG had separate queues for the EU, and other passport holders, but also a special queue for a small group of nations, including the UK/Switzerland/USA and Canada - presumably, there is some common agreement on passport data sharing between these countries.
Thanks Gareth and RicePudding.
I’ll be flying from Limoges to East Midlands - both are fairly small airports, Limoges in particular.
I will definitely hand over my WARP with my passport, although probably no danger of myself filling it up with stamps.
Okay, so I might encounter facial recognition depending on the size of the airport. Last time I flew, I was singled out of a large crowd to have my hands scanned, presumably for some sort of hazardous substance. Nobody else in that large queue was put through the machine, and when I asked about it, I was just met with a stern face and no response… Wouldn’t have minded, but I got singled out on the return journey too! I put it down to my facial hair.
I’m travelling by myself this time around, but will be travelling with a French wife and kids later in the year - not sure if we’re allowed to pass through the same queue if it’s split?
Thanks Peter, and yes it’s RyanAir. I’m flying in April, so thankfully I should still just about be okay. This is the problem for the few relics who don’t use mobile phones and a society that assumes everybody does… I couldn’t read the full article because it’s behind a paywall, but I wonder what happens if your battery goes dead, or some sort of technical issue, or lack of internet etc.
I have used nothing but e-tickets for years and have never had a problem. I always have the tickets on the phone in two forms, one in the app or apple wallet and the other as a photograph. I don’t need the internet to access them. If my phone was stolen at the last moment there’s no problem, I always travel with my iPad and it mirrors what is on my phone.
The standard Ryanair answer - it’ll cost extra!
You’ll have to pay Ryanair to generate the necessary - at the moment 20€ for printing out a boarding pass and 50€ for airport check-in (assuming you haven’t checked in on their website or app).
A bigger problem will be if O’Deary goes ahead with his plan to remove all check-in desks as you’d presumably then have to queue at the solitary manned information point.
Thanks for the link Gareth.
The article concludes by not being conclusive. It’s hard to imagine they would force 100% of customers onto their app, given 1 in 10 people (according to the survey) don’t have a smartphone. Still this is 2025, and we live in such times where anything goes. I’m still a firm believer that too much reliance on technology will one day be our downfall.
As you say both Limoges and East Mids are fairly small airports.
Just follow everyone else
Definitely show your WARP card with your passport at Limoges.
You won’t need your WARP at East Mids just use the passport queue for British / EU passport holders.
Another silly question of mine, but do I need additional insurance or an EHIC? RyanAir plugs it when you go to book, which includes medical, although on the UK government website it does say: " UK nationals who no longer live in the UK" - “Some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes UK war pensioners, UK government employees, and UK nationals living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020.”
I believe that if you have a S1 form you are covered for health treatment in UK but that’s all, you’d need travel insurance to cover you for repatriation if necessary + loss of bags etc etc
If you don’t have a S1 travel insurance is a really good idea
Just re-read your post Gareth, I’m not sure whether you need a S1 in addition to being a pre-31 Dec2020 person to be sure of health treatment in UK
The last time I flew (admittedly five years ago) I saw a very distressed young Japanese guy at Bruxelles, who was unable to board because he had some phone malfunction and lacked a paper back-up.
The train is my preferred means of travel when visiting the U.K. I’ve just checked and both SNCF and Eurostar still allow printed paper boarding passes. It will be interesting to see if they follow Ryanair and go all electronic or continue to offer the choice.
My understanding is that if you have a WARP card, but not an S1 you are eligible for free NHS treatment in the UK. Just being resident before 31-12-2020 gives you that right.
