The UK government has raised the issue at ministerial level and urged Portugal to fully implement the withdrawal agreement and protect the rights of the 34,500 Britons who made the country their home before Brexit. People have been detained at airports, paid to have broken bones treated or risked losing their jobs because of delays in obtaining a biometric card that is vital to everyday life and proves their legal status. Under the UK-EU withdrawal agreement, British citizens in Portugal were guaranteed protection of their social and employment rights. However, the Portuguese government has not yet provided the biometric residence cards. Instead, a temporary document and QR code has been issued, which the British say is not recognized locally or at international borders. James Campbell, a computer programmer, said: “I feel more like an illegal immigrant right now.” He listed 25 things that had happened to him because of a lack of documentation, including a £4,000 private hospital bill for a broken limb because he couldn’t access state healthcare. A British-South African couple living just outside Lisbon have told how they were detained at Frankfurt Airport without the correct EU residence papers and are now charged with a criminal breach of immigration law as well as a bill of around €4,000 (£3,375) for new flights to return to Portugal. The husband, who did not want to be named because of ongoing legal action, said: “We were in transit and when we were going to the gate to Seychelles they pulled us aside and asked for our residence papers. We were told that what we had was not enough. We offered to show them utility bills, tax bills, to prove we live in Portugal, but he wouldn’t listen. His only concern was that “you are in Germany illegally.” He kept saying that it doesn’t matter what the Portuguese government tells you.” He said it was “almost criminal” what happened to him and his wife, adding that people should not resort to the media to solve a problem created by the government. He was told he risked arrest if they returned via Germany, so they had to give up their original tickets and buy new flights to Lisbon via London. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Tig James, who heads the British group’s campaign in Portugal, said around 41,000 British nationals were affected and had spent the past three years “shouting from the rooftops” about the problem – but no one listened. He blames the Portuguese Immigration and Border Service, SEF. “SEF willfully, willfully and systemically failed to honor the Withdrawal Agreement, resulting in physical, emotional and financial suffering for thousands of British nationals living in Portugal,” he said. James has written a six-page report documenting the impact of the situation faced by British nationals in Portugal and planned to present it in person to the European Commission in September, but says she will not go because she fears she will be detained at the border. Tig James, who manages Britain in Portugal Picture: Supplied The UK government said it had raised the issue at ministerial level and through its embassy in Portugal on several occasions. He also formally raised it in June with the UK-EU select committee on citizens’ rights, the body tasked with ensuring the agreement is implemented. “We continue to urge the Portuguese government to complete the process of issuing biometric residence cards to UK nationals legally living in Portugal without further delay,” a UK government spokesman said in a statement. “Portugal must immediately and fully implement the commitments of the withdrawal agreement it signed in 2018 so that British nationals have the security they need.” Alex Braithwaite is in danger of losing his job as an easyJet pilot. Photo: Alex Braithwaite Alex Braithwaite, a Portugal-based easyJet pilot, said he was at risk of losing his job because he was undocumented and had to seek help from the British embassy to prove he had the right to work locally for the airline. He was also unable to register with his local GP or exchange his German driving license for a local one. SEF says in a statement: “Current residence documents of British nationals living in Portugal continue to be accepted, even after the end of the transition period (31 December 2020) and until the new residence card is issued. “The exchange of the current residence document (either an EU registration certificate issued by the town hall, or an EU permanent residence certificate issued by the SEF) took place through the Brexit portal (brexit.sef.pt), which allowed British nationals to request online for the exchange of the document. “Until then, the certificate with the QR code, which can be downloaded from the portal, continues to be an official residence document for those subject to the withdrawal agreement. It is valid until the new card is issued. In addition, valid EU residence documents are still accepted for travel purposes until the new card is issued.” A European Commission official said he had been assured by Portugal that the delay in issuing physical residence cards had no “structural impact” on British nationals or their right to access social and health services. The official said he continues to monitor the situation. He had also been told that new laws were to expand the number of government agencies allowed to issue these cards.