Jersey seeks UK help over travel visa issues

Jersey's home affairs minister has written to the UK Home Office after lawful residents were incorrectly blocked from boarding flights back to the island.

The UK introduced a new travel system – electronic travel authorisation (ETA) – at the end of February, which is a digital permission people need to travel to the country.

Deputy Mary Le Hegarat said airline staff were "misinterpreting" border rules, often confusing Jersey's physical immigration documents with the new digital e-visa system. She acknowledged that the issue had caused "considerable distress for those who have been affected".

It comes after reports that some residents had paid up to £170 for emergency travel documents.

The ETA system should not affect those with British or Irish passports, or those with settled status in the Channel Islands.

However, some residents have found airlines have not accepted their Jersey documentation.

In a statement, Le Hegarat described it as a "frustrating temporary situation".

She said she had written to the Home Office to "express concern that lawful residents of Jersey are being wrongly denied boarding by carriers when returning to the Common Travel Area after trips abroad".

The issue, she said, was likely because "airlines now generally expect digital immigration records" and the Channel Islands currently issued physical documents.

She said she was taking the "very seriously" and had asked the UK government "for assistance in resolving it".

Jersey Customs and Immigration Service has contacted individual carriers and handling agents to make clear that Jersey-issue permissions are valid.

It has also provided detailed instructions for airline staff and border partners.

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