Brexit leaves Britons blocked at border
The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, a branch of the Dutch police force, has refused at least ten Britons from entering the Netherlands since Brexit officially went into effect on January 1. Follow the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU, Britons can only enter the Netherlands if strictly necessary.
All Britons who were denied access to the Netherlands landed at Schiphol. Some of them were outraged that they were not welcome. “A few understood it, but most thought that a negative corona test would be sufficient to enter the country,” said a spokesperson for the Marechaussee. Under certain conditions, exceptions are made for doctors or journalists, for example.
Last year, the Marechaussee refused entry to some 1,900 people. This mainly happened at Schiphol airport, but also at other locations throughout the country. Most of them, about 1,000, did not meet the conditions to enter. For example, they did not have proper travel documents, too little money to stay here, or they were a possible danger to public order.
Although the number of regular refusals was lower than in 2019, it is still high given the decrease in the number of passengers at airports.
Some 900 of those 1,900 refused travelers were not allowed in because of the Covid-19 entry ban that has been in place since March. According to the Marechaussee, the high number of about 300 Americans is particularly striking.
