A few months after the Brexit, many Britons are looking to retain the benefits of the European Union … by changing the passport. Some consular services of other EU countries find applications in very large increases.
Some Britons have already applied for citizenship of another Member State without waiting for the results of negotiations on the Brexit. Their goal is to continue to live and work freely in the EU once the divorce between London and Brussels pronounced.
For this, they can optionally leverage their Irish roots: about 10% of Britons are eligible for citizenship of the country of clover, which can be granted to the grandchildren of its nationals. Irish passports were like after the referendum of June 23, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, called for patience, noting that the consular offices were under “strong pressure” .
The genealogy website ancestry.co.uk has been a “significant increase” in visits after the referendum. “We saw the number of users subscribing to trial periods climb 40%. And in parallel, over a week, research on Irish ancestors grew 20%, ” says Sue Moncur, one of the site managers.
Portuguese or German ancestors as an excuse
Some 400 British descendants of Sephardic Jews, persecuted and expelled from Portugal five centuries ago, requested the nationality of the State of South Europe. Before the referendum, only five Britons had applied for an Act of March 2015 which offers these Sephardic Jews Portuguese nationality by way of reparation for the persecution suffered by their ancestors in the late fifteenth century.
For its part, the German Embassy in London has also experienced a “spike of inquiries” , she said.
A website to marry another European
For those unable to invoke their ancestors, the marriage option remains possible. As married Britons in the European Union will retain the right to live and work on the continent. To make things easier, Katy Edelsten and Chloe cord, two students have created the site idbenothingwithouteu.co.uk . The latter, which seeks to link the British and “charming European citizens living in the UK ‘ , already boasts several thousand members.
“Nobody wants to get married just for a passport. It’s just a fun way to meet people. There are plenty of ways to find love, then why not through Brexit? ” comments Katy Edelsten, who now wants to extend the concept to the British settled on the continent.
