• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
UK on verge of deal that will make travelling through airport much quicker for British passengers

Home> Lifestyle> Travel

Published 15:33 18 May 2025 GMT+1

UK on verge of deal that will make travelling through airport much quicker for British passengers

The deal - if agreed - would be a huge improvement for Brits travelling abroad

Brenna Cooper

Brenna Cooper

UK ministers could be on the verge of deal with the EU which could make travelling through the airport much easier for British holidaymakers.

Cast your minds back to life before 11pm on 31 December 2020, before the British government formally withdrew from the European Union. If you're able to remember travelling abroad in the pre-Brexit, pre-pandemic era, then you'll likely recall gliding through electronic gates before enjoying your holiday.

However this is a distant memory for most Brits travelling through countries such as Spain, Italy and France, with all of us having to spend our first moments after disembarking the plane queueing up to get our passports stamped in the slow moving queue.

Advert

Adding insult to injury, this is usually accompanied being the butt of the jokes of EU passport holders waiting for their British friends to clear immigration.

A new deal between the UK and the EU could mean saying goodbye to the slow moving passport queue (Getty Stock Images)
A new deal between the UK and the EU could mean saying goodbye to the slow moving passport queue (Getty Stock Images)

Well not anymore, as ministers from Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government are currently negotiating with their EU counterparts to allow Brits visiting the Union access to the e-gates.

The gates are currently reserved for European Union member nations as well as countries belonging to the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Swiss nationals.

Can UK citizens use EU passport gates?

Ahead of the UK-EU summit in London taking place tomorrow (19 May) European relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds revealed that negotiating British access to the faster moving passport queue is currently on the table.

Advert

Outlining the plan during an interview on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Thomas-Symonds said of the move: "I am sure we can all agree that would be sensible."

Clarifying the position further during an interview with he continued: "I'm certainly pushing for people to be able to go through far more quickly.

"I think we can all agree that not being stuck in queues and having more time to spend, whether it's on holiday or work trips, having more time to do what you want.

The deal could be announced as part of Monday's UK-EU summit (Getty Stock Images)
The deal could be announced as part of Monday's UK-EU summit (Getty Stock Images)

"[That] would be a very sensible objective."

Advert

However, the minister did urge people not to get their hopes up just yet, as a final deal is yet to be completed.

"Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," Thomas-Symonds added.

Monday's summit, largely being referred to as the post-Brexit reset deal, will see Prime Minister Keir Starmer secure a deal with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in London.

The deal is expected to include:

  • announcements around UK-EU trade and security
  • removing Brexit 'red-tape' on food exports and imports
  • access to EU passport e-gates
  • a youth mobility scheme with the EU
Featured Image Credit: Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Topics: Travel, UK News, Brexit, Keir Starmer, Europe

Brenna Cooper
Brenna Cooper

Brenna Cooper is a journalist at LADbible. She graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in History, followed by an NCTJ accredited masters in Journalism. She began her career as a freelance writer for Digital Spy, where she wrote about all things TV, film and showbiz. Her favourite topics to cover are music, travel and any bizarre pop culture.

X

@_brencoco

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • All new airport rules Keir Starmer has agreed with EU for UK passengers
  • When Brits will be able to use passport e-gates again as Keir Starmer announces new EU airport rules
  • Brits warned they could be fined over simple airport meal deal sandwich
  • The 11 UK airports that have scrapped strict hand luggage rule that will make travelling so much easier

Choose your content:

13 hours ago
a day ago
  • 13 hours ago

    Woman who sold all belongings to live permanently on a cruise ship exposes 'dark side' of life on there

    Lynelle sold everything she owned and now lives permanently on a cruise ship

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Top place to go for a night out in Europe as cheapest party destinations revealed

    The European Nightlife Index has revealed the best cities for a night out across the continent

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Man kicked out of Dubai on £3,000 holiday over his face tattoos

    He said he was 'massively discriminated' against

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Cruise ship worker reveals main difference between all inclusive holiday at sea vs in a hotel

    Turns out there's some hidden costs you need to pay for

    Lifestyle