Saturday 6 August 2022 12:58 PM Brits in Portugal face arrest if they enter another EU country as they STILL ... trends now
Campaigner and Brit expat Tig James said UK nationals who made Portugal their home before Brexit now face deportation and arrest when they try to enter another EU country
Thousands of British expats in Portugal are having their lives 'paralysed and damaged' because of the country's failure to issue them with post-Brexit residency cards, it has been claimed.
Tig James, who runs the British in Portugal campaign group, says many UK nationals who made areas such as the Algarve their home before the withdrawal agreement came into force are facing deportation and arrest when they try to enter another EU country.
They are also suffering 'dreadful consequences' in Portugal - including being unable to register for health care, difficulties registering a child's birth and obstacles when it comes to family reunification.
Expat representatives say the problems are being caused by the Portuguese Border and Immigration Service's failure to issue WA biometric cards needed by every UK national under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement.
So far on mainland Portugal only a temporary document and QR code has been issued which affected Britons say is not recognised locally or at international borders.
Mrs James, who claims the problem has severely affected those who arrived before the Brexit agreement kicked in at the start of 2021 and were unable to obtain residency from immigration offices due to the pandemic, said: 'The process needed for UK nationals to register for residency took months to be put in place and, prior to that, caused a great deal of difficulties specifically for those arriving just before the end of 2020 who were not allowed to obtain any residency documentation.
Expats in Portugal (photo by James) face 'dreadful consequences' and no healthcare, she said
'This meant they were unable to sign work contracts with many being threatened with retraction of them including, most notably, five Easyjet pilots who had moved to Portugal with their families solely for that purpose.
'People were not only unable to obtain work but were not permitted to register for health care, social security, at banks, the tax office, every known institution in Portugal.
'Many stopped at Portuguese borders were being threatened with deportation.
'Finally they were allowed to register for residency and a system put in place where a QR code was given stating that all were legally resident in Portugal but it wasn't the WA biometric card needed by every UK national coming under the withdrawal agreement.
'I have been promised the cards would be arriving soon since July 2019 and that has been the unvarying reply since.
'The reasons for the three year delay by the immigration department? Staff shortages, holiday periods, the pandemic, and now Ukrainian refugees.
'The dreadful consequences of not having a WA biometric card, the seriousness of which cannot be underestimated, has paralysed and damaged UK national's lives emotionally, physically and financially.
'Without one you can't register for health care if you move address (people seriously ill, potentially terminally ill, cannot get treatment), doctors refusing treatment, appointments cancelled.
'Repeatedly it has been advocated UK nationals exchange their driving licence for Portuguese licences to be fully covered by the law.
'One UK national has submitted her application seven times due to loss of documentation, and the driving licence office refusing to take any applications without the WA biometric card.
The tax office refuse to change addresses without one so even if a UK national gets a driving licence it gets sent to the wrong address if people have moved.
'Banks refuse to change addresses without the tax office say-so, so credit and debit cards are sent to the wrong address, vehicles are unable to be matriculated costing UK nationals thousands in importation fees for vehicles that should be free to import, and garages are refusing to repair vehicles.
Brits abroad in Portugal face unprecedented paperwork in the wake of Brexit (Faro pictured)
'The QR code people have been given is not being accepted at many EU borders with the holders of such codes often being threatened with refusal of entry into the country, detained or deported.
'Two people were recently detained in Germany because of out of date residency documentation.
'The Portuguese Border and Immigration Service have refused to renew any residency documentation held by a UK national saying the QR code covers them.
'No other EU country is
