pre-authorisation system, which is due to launch in 2022. They will also find it harder to
take pets into the EU.
A big factor influencing visa regimes is the wealth of a country’s tourists. British
travellers are a high-spending bunch, and will still be sought after around the world.
The main reason the British passport slipped down the rankings over the past few years
is not that some countries shut their doors to Britons, but that they opened their doors
to others. Holders of Singaporean, South Korean and Japanese passports are
increasingly welcome in more countries than Brits or other Europeans.
Yet geopolitics and trade affect visa policies too. Political tensions with China, Iran and
Russia trickle down to ordinary travellers. Moreover, countries like Germany, Japan and
South Korea are economic powerhouses that make lots of things. Other countries value
economic relationships with them, and visa-free travel can be a spur to greater trade.
But Britain, which has a strong services sector, “is no longer a major player in terms of
finished goods and that has an effect on the perception of the UK,” says Paddy Blewer of
Henley & Partners. As a result, “other sovereign states are less willing to give it visa-free
travel.” Nor is Britain particularly generous when it comes to granting visa-free access
to its own shores to citizens of non-Western states. That creates resentment.
The pandemic will not help. Even as borders closed across the world, EU states
continued to treat Britain as a member. But after the transition period Britain will be
treated like any other country, and access to the rest of Europe will be conditional on
keeping infection rates low. Outside Europe, few countries make special exceptions for
British citizens. Britain’s new, weaker position in the world will make reciprocal visa
policies a part of new negotiations. Some Brits may feel pride at the return of the blue
passport, but it will not be nearly as widely welcomed as the old burgundy one.
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