The Brexit referendum thread: potential consequences for GB, EU and the Brits in CH

[amogles]

	Quote:	Pachyderm
	As others have said, you shouldn't really find it any more complicated than previously if you have a passport. If you're an EU citizen you can stay for up to 6 months without a passport. If you previously used only an ID card and have no passport, which I learn from Jim2007 is nearly everyone's position here, then yes, you'll have to get a passport. But it's well worth it for all the other places you can travel to. I have to take you at your word Jim but I personally know no one-- Swiss, EU, or other, who doesn't have a passport, so I'll have to believe you that you've not possessed any passport for 12 years. Though funnily enough, earlier you were talking about the appalling inconvenience of having to take your Swiss or Irish passport with you if you want to travel to the UK.

I have a Swiss friend who claims he entered Ireland using his Halbtax once. He pulled out the wrong card by mistake and the officer on duty didn't even shrug his shoulders.

I guess this must have been pre Schengen.

[Jim2007]

	Quote:	amogles
	I have a Swiss friend who claims he entered Ireland using his Halbtax once. He pulled out the wrong card by mistake and the officer on duty didn't even shrug his shoulders. I guess this must have been pre Schengen.

Ireland is not part of Schengen and I don't know about a halbtax.....

Back in the days when the route was Zurich - Manchester - Dublin, I say a Swiss guy let board on an 4 month expired ID card. The checker just asked if he was going to Manchester or Dublin. When he said Dublin she said it was fine, as the Irish accept expired Swiss ID cards!!!!

[JackieH]

Last time my mother visited the UK, for our eldest's wedding- my dad was pushing her in a wheelchair and she was asked for ID for boarding, in Geneva. The Border Guard looked at her Swiss ID card and said 'but Mrs A' your ID card is 10 years out of date' she smiled her biggest smile, and looked at him with her 90 year old half-blind eyes and replied 'I am going to my grand-daughter's wedding- surely these things don't matter anymore at my age'. He smiled and handed her ID card back and said 'you are right, have a wonderful time'.

[fatmanfilms]

	Quote:	JackieH
	Last time my mother visited the UK, for our eldest's wedding- my dad was pushing her in a wheelchair and she was asked for ID for boarding, in Geneva. The Border Guard looked at her Swiss ID card and said 'but Mrs A' your ID card is 10 years out of date' she smiled her biggest smile, and looked at him with her 90 year old half-blind eyes and replied 'I am going to my grand-daughter's wedding- surely these things don't matter anymore at my age'. He smiled and handed her ID card back and said 'you are right, have a wonderful time'.

That must have been before Schengen, the UK hardly checked people's passports back then.
I can't remember when CH started to accept Swiss ID cards rather than a passport, it's not that long ago.

	Quote:	greenmount
	Thanks for your explanations, I didn't really watch this little territory's nationalistic feuds. I guess they have to swallow their pride and use their Greek passports? We do live in a funny world.

Cyprus is a republic, independent since 1960 (independent from the UK, by the way, not from Greece). It's not part of Greece and never has been, except for various invasions before the time of Christ, including by Alexander the Great (if you count him as Greek). Cypriot nationals have Cypriot passports.

[JackieH]

	Quote:	greenmount
	Thanks for your explanations, I didn't really watch this little territory's nationalistic feuds. I guess they have to swallow their pride and use their Greek passports? We do live in a funny world.

TBH I have never fancied visiting Cyprus, because of its history and divisions.
Have you ever read any book ba Victoria Hislop? If not, do read The Sunrise - if you want to understand Cyprus's divisions in a Novel form.

[marton]

	Quote:	fatmanfilms
	That must have been before Schengen, the UK hardly checked people's passports back then. I can't remember when CH started to accept Swiss ID cards rather than a passport, it's not that long ago.

The UK was never in Schengen?

[fatmanfilms]

	Quote:	marton
	The UK was never in Schengen?

Indeed, but heavy gestapo type passport control started then. Before that you just waved your passport & walked through.

	Quote:	fatmanfilms
	That must have been before Schengen, the UK hardly checked people's passports back then. I can't remember when CH started to accept Swiss ID cards rather than a passport, it's not that long ago.

As well as the UK never having been in Schengen (thanks Marton), Switzerland has always accepted Swiss ID cards.

[st2lemans]

	Quote:	fatmanfilms
	I can't remember when CH started to accept Swiss ID cards rather than a passport, it's not that long ago.

Please rethink that statement.

Tom

	Quote:	fatmanfilms
	Indeed, but heavy gestapo type passport control started then. Before that you just waved your passport & walked through.

Now explain why an agreement to which the UK was never party to would change anything as a result of that agreement.

The only change I have noticed to the UK passport control for UK citizens in over 40 years came with the introduction of machine readable passports wwith which they started systematically scanning them. General attitude/severity hasn't otherwise changed at all.

[MusicChick]

The future of Cyprus isn't as independent as it seems: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ara...de/1809791/amp

[fatmanfilms]

	Quote:
	Now explain why an agreement to which the UK was never party to would change anything as a result of that agreement. The only change I have noticed to the UK passport control for UK citizens in over 40 years came with the introduction of machine readable passports wwith which they started systematically scanning them. General attitude/severity hasn't otherwise changed at all.

The difference is since Schengen your passport is scanned on arrival, previously there was no such record of arrivals. They can see where you came from so it's probably also a checkout from Schengen. The Schengen countries also know when you arrived in the UK, when I returned to Malta the guard looked confused, he said you arrived in Heathrow this morning, my response correct

[marton]

	Quote:	fatmanfilms
	Indeed, but heavy gestapo type passport control started then. Before that you just waved your passport & walked through.

So far as I know the Gestapo only controlled people leaving the country.

Anyway back to topic, the value of £ has improved and now buys 1.28 CHF. Hope it stays that way as I incorrectly paid UK tax on my pensions and now HMRC has agreed to refund my tax payments for the last thirteen years.

[fatmanfilms]

	Quote:	marton
	So far as I know the Gestapo only controlled people leaving the country. Anyway back to topic, the value of £ has improved and now buys 1.28 CHF. Hope it stays that way as I incorrectly paid UK tax on my pensions and now HMRC has agreed to refund my tax payments for the last thirteen years.

It's the style, insisting on seeing a passport, 'papers papers!'.
Amazing, had you overpaid CH tax they would not refund going back 13 years, UK seem to be on a winning streak! a tax refund, strong currency & vaccinations, what will JackieH have to say
I have a running bet with someone on the forum that I will win if the £ is above 1.242 on 21 August, looking good

[greenmount]

	Quote:
	Cyprus is a republic, independent since 1960 (independent from the UK, by the way, not from Greece). It's not part of Greece and never has been, except for various invasions before the time of Christ, including by Alexander the Great (if you count him as Greek). Cypriot nationals have Cypriot passports.

Sorry, mea culpa. I meant "Cypriot" of course but in my mind they're Greek too.

	Quote:	JackieH
	TBH I have never fancied visiting Cyprus, because of its history and divisions. Have you ever read any book ba Victoria Hislop? If not, do read The Sunrise - if you want to understand Cyprus's divisions in a Novel form.

Why? It seems like a very nice place, I hope I'll visit it someday. I think history makes it even more interesting. Wish they'll find a way to be less divided so to speak.

[marton]

	Quote:	fatmanfilms
	It's the style, insisting on seeing a passport, 'papers papers!'. Amazing, had you overpaid CH tax they would not refund going back 13 years, UK seem to be on a winning streak! a tax refund, strong currency & vaccinations, what will JackieH have to say I have a running bet with someone on the forum that I will win if the £ is above 1.242 on 21 August, looking good

The UK does not refund domestic tax for long periods, seems international tax refunds are handled according to whatever double tax agreements exist.

[amogles]

A friend of my dad is a (recently) retired Dutch lorry driver who says of all the countries in Europe, Switzerland has the most anal customers officers. And this is a guy who used to drive to places like the Ukraine.

	Quote:	JackieH
	TBH I have never fancied visiting Cyprus, because of its history and divisions.

	Quote:	greenmount
	Why? It seems like a very nice place, I hope I'll visit it someday. I think history makes it even more interesting. Wish they'll find a way to be less divided so to speak.

I used to travel frequently to Cyprus, around 20 years ago, as I had family there. The island (the southern part, at least; like most tourists, I've never been over the line into the invaded north) is not my favourite place. It's very arid, the locals inland tend to treat the whole place as a tip, and the tourist spots on the coast rival Benidorm for tackiness. The beaches aren't stunning, and unfortunately the best beaches are apparently in the occupied north.

But the people (inland and away from the tourist traps) are very genuine, warm and welcoming, and the island generally exudes a sense of comfort and affluence. I agree with greenmount that it's odd to avoid visiting a country because of its history, especially when the (presumably) objectionable part of that history is not of the making of its citizens. Northern Cyprus was invaded; it's like saying you'd never visit Ukraine because Russia decided to help itself to a slice. Or refusing to visit the UK, because Scotland or Wales ort, of course, Northern Ireland.

Viewing the UN-patrolled no-man's-land that cuts through Lefkosia (Nicosia), the capital of Cyprus, was a fascinating but very sobering experience. At the time, and I think still today (following the fall of the Berlin Wall), Lefkosia/Nicosia was the world's only divided city.

[fatmanfilms]

	Quote:	marton
	The UK does not refund domestic tax for long periods, seems international tax refunds are handled according to whatever double tax agreements exist.

Thats assuming they don't do an audit & keep the year open. I know a ex Goldman Sachs partner that was under investigation for 15 years. It ends up with HMRC refunding in excess of £750,000 tax paid, plus interest They got too greedy & it back fired.