Eurostar, January 1, 2021. -

AFP

A strange surprise awaited Eurostar passengers from London on Friday upon their arrival on the platforms of the Gare du Nord: the first customs checks on goods, one of the consequences of Brexit, which became final since midnight.

“In the first days of Brexit, there will be a lot of pedagogy, of explanations.

We will gradually accustom travelers to these services and these controls, ”explains to AFP the interregional director of Ile-de-France customs, Jean-Roald L'Hermitte.

Controls on tobacco and alcohol transported

If the trade agreement concluded in extremis between London and Brussels does not provide for any quota or customs duties and avoids a devastating "no deal", the upheaval is real.

The free movement of goods and people to cross the border unimpeded is a thing of the past - except between Spain and the British enclave of Gibraltar, as well as between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Thus, from 1 January, travelers arriving from the United Kingdom may be subject to quantity controls on alcohol and tobacco and in value for other goods.

“But these controls will not cause a major slowdown in flows,” assures Jean-Roald L'Hermitte, specifying that they will not target every traveler.

British residents departing from Paris will be able to benefit from the tax refund on goods purchased in the European Union (EU), with the reimbursement of VAT on their purchases exceeding the threshold of 100 euros.

With the new missions linked to Brexit, 15 customs officers are coming to reinforce the cross-Channel internal surveillance brigade, for a total which has now reached 125.

"We're starting to feel the Brexit"

Fifteen minutes before the first post-Brexit Eurostar entered Gare du Nord, at 12:47 p.m. in Paris, around ten of them were busy: a little impatience, smiles and the setting up of tables to control passenger luggage.

The first passengers get off the TGV in a hurry, some have to stop at the customs stand, who explain the new rules to them.

“When I arrived, they asked me if I had any merchandise, food up to 300 euros.

If that was the case, I would have to pay taxes, ”says Stéphanie Bapes, a 35-year-old Frenchwoman who lives in London.

“Like all French people, I bring meat, cheese or wine when I return to London.

Now, meat will be banned in luggage and we will have to be careful what we bring back and check the government website.

For the return, I will bring nothing suddenly, it's screwed, ”she sighs.

Several products banned from traveling

Besides meat, milk and dairy products will also be banned, with a few exceptions.

Flowers, fruits, vegetables and plants will be subject to phytosanitary control when they enter the EU.

“I come home once a year, I wasn't supposed to come home for the holidays.

I had an emergency.

I took my ticket at the last minute, with a test (for Covid) at 200 pounds (around 225 euros), plus the ticket which costs a blind and customs… ”, summarizes Stéphanie Bapes.

"There, we begin to feel the Brexit".

In London, the passengers of the first train from Paris, which arrived at 2:39 pm, were quietly leaving a St Pancras station with closed shops.

"What has changed is knowing what to do", summarizes Mathilde Allemand, 35, a pediatric nurse in London where she has lived for seven years.

Before departure, "I took an hour to check everything, because there is the pandemic and Brexit".

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