The UK has struck a new bilateral agreement with France aimed at making it easier for French children to get into Britain. Prior to Brexit, Britain was a particularly popular destination for school trips from France, with around 10,000 being organised every year by schools in the country across the Channel.
While school trips allowed French pupils to practice their English and get to know British culture better, they were a lucrative business for the UK economy, reportedly bringing in around £100million per year.
But the number of students coming from France plummeted at the end of the Brexit transition period in light of the new travel rules being enforced.
Until January 31 2020, EU citizens could cross the UK borders showing only national ID cards rather than passports.
While both are valid documents in the countries issuing them, obtaining the latter is normally much more expensive for citizens. Also given the fact it is possible to travel throughout the European Union with just ID cards, many EU nationals including the French don’t have passports.
The new set of rules, part of a bilateral deal agreed in principle during a summit in March by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have much simplified the process for teachers and schools who want to plan study trips to Britain.
Among the measures announced this week is allowing once again France’s students who are EU nationals to enter Britain using only their ID cards.
Non-EU citizens who study in France will also not be required to apply for a visa to enter the UK as part of the school trip.
The visa process normally involves a £100 fee and a trip to the British Embassy in Paris – something many schools have been unwilling to require families of pupils to do over the past three years.
The new rules will come into effect on December 28 and will apply only to those aged 18 or under who are studying at a school or educational institution in France that is registered with the French Education Ministry.
These youngsters need to be seeking to enter the UK as part of a school party of five or more pupils organised by that school or institution, the British Government explained.
Other French people travelling to the UK will have to keep following the post-Brexit travel rules.
British Ambassador to France Dame Menna Rawlings celebrated the agreement saying: “My first-ever overseas trip was on a school exchange to France when I was 13 years old. With France, it was love at first sight, and the start of a life-long adventure of travel and exploring different languages and cultures.
“So I’m delighted that we are easing the travel of school groups to the UK in line with mutual commitments made at the March Summit between our Prime Minister and President Macron.
“This will help to refresh our people-to-people links, which are the beating heart of UK-France relations and our renewed Entente.”
