Statement from the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Deputy Mary Le Hegarat, on recent travel issues

13 April 2026

I have written to the UK Home Office to express my concern that lawful residents of Jersey are being wrongly denied boarding by carriers when returning to the Common Travel Area after trips abroad.

I have asked the UK Government for assistance in resolving this issue, which I take very seriously, and which I know has caused considerable distress for those who have been affected.

The issue affects residents of Jersey who are not British or Irish citizens. Airlines and ground handlers abroad are misinterpreting UK border requirements and wrongly denying boarding to Jersey residents who have the correct permission to travel.

The Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man) all currently issue physical documents. Some overseas airline staff may not understand these to be valid, as airlines now generally expect digital immigration records following the UK's introduction of e-visas. As a result, some passengers with valid Jersey-issued status are being wrongly denied travel.

We are working hard to resolve this. The UK Home Office and the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service (JCIS) have contacted carriers and handling agents to make clear that Jersey-issued permissions are valid. This includes providing detailed instructions for airline staff and border partners.

The Home Office has been engaging with carriers for a considerable time in advance of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) rollout, and work has been done to make carriers aware that Jersey's physical travel permissions remain valid.

Where necessary, JCIS and the Home Office have engaged with specific handling agents or carriers to provide them with further reassurance and will continue to do so.

This morning, a meeting took place between Jersey's Honorary Polish Consul and representatives from the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service (JCIS) and the Ministry of External Relations to discuss the situation. The External Relations team are contacting all Honorary Consuls, to better understand the impact on their citizens and if necessary, enable the JCIS team to pinpoint engagement with specific airlines or airports.

This is a frustrating, temporary situation.

In conjunction with the introduction of ETA's (which are important for border security for Jersey and the Common Travel Area), and continuing work which has been underway for some time, JCIS is working closely with the Home Office to digitalise permissions issued in Jersey. Digital permissions will become available in the Crown Dependencies in phases between June 2026 and early 2027. This has always been the planned timeline.

Additional notes

• The Jersey Customs and Immigration Service has renewed public guidance on social media channels and gov.je including a fact sheet for use by travellers and carriers
  

• Full information is available on the Government of Jersey website, including travel advice if you have Jersey immigration permission: Travel documents and visas for Jersey
  

• As explained recently, the guidance to carriers is: because Jersey permissions are physical documents (not yet eVisas), carriers should not expect a digital status or share code for Jersey-issued permissions

• Carriers boarding passengers to the UK should review the passenger's physical Jersey immigration endorsement/s and contact the UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub to verify permission to travel

• Our advice to anyone travelling who holds one of the above permissions and is wrongly denied boarding, is to ask the carrier to contact the UK's Carrier Support Hub who should be able to verify your status

• You can see the international travel requirements for holders of Jersey immigration permissions here: Travel document information for carriers and people with Jersey immigration permission
  

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