Britons rush to apply for Polish passports after Brexit

(Baonghean.vn) – After the referendum on Britain leaving the European Union (EU), the number of British people applying for Polish passports is increasing to a record level.

Britons are frantically applying for second passports for fear of losing freedom of movement after Brexit. Photo: Getty

A Polish official revealed today that since the Brexit referendum in the UK, 280 people have sent emails and 700 have called the Polish Embassy requesting Polish passports. Previously, Poland only received about 10 such requests per month.

A spokesman for the Polish Embassy in the UK said the majority of passport applicants were married to Polish citizens.

Under the rules, British citizens whose mother or father is Polish are entitled to apply for Polish citizenship as well as a Polish passport – a passport recognised by EU member states.

This passport allows them to travel, work and settle freely in 27 EU countries. This was also the most controversial factor in the recent UK referendum.

Not only Poland, the embassies of other Eastern European countries in the UK also recorded a surge in the number of passport requests: a total of about 10,000 requests in more than half a month.

Previously, many British people also rushed to apply for Irish passports due to concerns that they would no longer be able to travel freely between European countries after the Brexit vote on June 23.

However, British citizens will still have freedom of movement until the UK and EU finalise the arrangements under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to formally take the UK out of the EU.

Diep Khanh

(According to The Telegraph)