Guernsey extends French ID card scheme into 2026

Wednesday, 29 October 2025 11:10

Manche Illes Express outside St Peter Port.

The move will enable French visitors to come to Guernsey on day trips next year without a passport.

2025 has been a bumper season for French tourists travelling to Guernsey.

Many use national ID cards instead of a passport and negotiations led by Home Affairs mean this can continue into 2026.

The rules mean only people travelling on a commercial sailing, for the day, can use their ID cards.

This autumn the UK introduced the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme, a digital visa that allows non British national to visit the UK.

Home Affairs Committee president Marc Leadbeater says this could have proved problematical to extending the French ID card scheme:

"The benefits of the scheme, particularly now in conjunction with Brittany Ferries, have been clear to see in Guernsey’s tourism statistics published so far this year.

"It is also of note that we can continue this scheme after the introduction of ETAs, which did not look likely at first, but will continue to allow French tourists to easily access the island when they travel with a carrier that works with the Guernsey Border Agency.”

Home Affairs will now work on changing the law to allow ID cards to be used post ETA introduction.