Brits scramble to get EU passports
A desperate scramble for European Union passports is under way after Britain voted to leave the union.
There has been a spike in the number of online searches for ‘‘getting an Irish passport’’, and some EU citizens are publicly offering themselves – probably jokingly – in marriage.
Ireland’s foreign ministry said it had received a significant rise in the number of Irish passport applications from Britain. It has published a guide on how to obtain documents for the 430,000 Irish-born people living in England, Wales and Scotland.
Anyone with a parent born in Ireland is automatically eligible for a passport, irrespective of where they live. People with an Irish-born grandparent or a parent who at the time of their child’s birth had Irish citizenship may also qualify.
Residents of Northern Ireland are also entitled to citizenship. Adam Quinn tweeted: ‘‘From Belfast, proud to be British but definitely getting an Irish passport to retain EU citizenship. Lucky I can do so.’’
As well as the spike in UK Google searches for ‘‘getting an Irish passport’’, there is evidence that panicked British expatriates are trying to acquire citizenship and naturalisation in other EU countries.
Charles Masters, a translator who can certify legal documents, said he had already received applications from Britons living in France seeking French passports.
He said getting French citizenship was relatively straightforward – applicants must have lived in the country for five years and have no criminal record. It costs €200 ($312).
Masters, who is originally from Reading, added: ‘‘I’m gutted by the result. We got French nationality ourselves 21⁄2 years ago. We were thinking, ‘You never know’. Now ‘you never know’ has actually happened. We are in shock.’’
Other people have resorted to humour to disguise their frustration and disappointment at the Brexit result.
Some said they were accepting marriage proposals or were seeking sham marriages. Other EU citizens said they were taking bids.
There was a wry realisation among international travellers yesterday that having a post-Brexit British passport would mean standing in the unfashionable slow-moving non-EU queue at airports.
Those seeking visa-free travel across the EU have other options, especially if they are rich.
Since 2014, EU member Malta has been selling passports to wealthy foreigners. The price is €650,000 ($1.01 million), and applicants are bound to buy or rent property and invest in government bonds to the tune of €115,000. Or you can marry a Maltese citizen and get a passport after five years.
Cyprus offers a similar scheme for a pricier €5m ($7.78m).