British soldiers have their passports checked in post-Brexit D-Day celebrations

Minutes after midnight, on 6 June 1944, around 1,200 of Allied soldiers parachuted along the cost of Normandy in Operation Overlord, or, as it is more commonly known, D-Day. The paratroopers were shortly followed by the landing of almost 160,000 troops from over 5,000 vessels in what remains the largest seaborne invasion in history. D-Day was a turning point in World War II. The operation began the liberation of France from German forces, followed by the rest of Europe, culminating in the Allied victory on the Western Front.

Besides the effigy of American paratrooper Private John Marvin Steele still hanging on the pinnacle of the church tower in Sainte-Mère-Église, reminding passers by of the importance of 6 June every day, each year, beaches in Normandy see hundreds of soldiers jumping out of planes in D-Day recreations and celebrations.

This year, on the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, there was just one extra step in the liberation of France – border control. Since the UK left the European Union in 2020, Brits’ free movement to the bloc has been restricted and they now need to have their passports checked every time they cross the Channel – soldiers are obviously no exception.

Instead of stating the assault at 00:15 on 6 June, as the Allies did in 1944, about 320 British, Belgian and American paratroopers touched down in the sunny fields of Normandy on Wednesday (5 June). The US troops had already arrived to France and been checked prior to the parachuting reenactment and Belgians are part of the EU, so they did not need to have their passports checked.

So, the UK troops promptly formed a line, waiting to have their documents checked at a pop-up customs point. French border control officers set up a table with a few laptops and passport scanners to ensure that no intruders would cross the country’s territory this time.

It is something we haven’t experienced before. But given the royal welcome we have had from every other feature, it seems like a very small price to pay for coming to France.

Brigadier Mark Berry, Commander of the British paratroopers

“We are doing immigration control and we are not supposed to do it in a field. But for this special event, for the 80^th anniversary, we are welcoming the UK soldiers”, passport control coordinator Jonathan Monti told the Sun.

Following the reenactment, the official ceremony has just started on Omaha Beach (at 3:30 pm on Thursday), with 25 heads of state coming together from around the world to commemorate D-Day. Moreover, as every year, the region of Normandie puts together a D-Day Festival, from 1 to 16 June, with concerts, parades, photo exhibitions, swing nights and “liberation” balls.