Impact of Brexit on Travel Programmes: Essential Passport and Visa Information

The Impact of Brexit on your Travel Programme

Passports Key info for UK passport holders travelling to Europe: Your passport must have at least 6 months validity beyond your return date of return (if you're travelling to Ireland this rule does not apply) Your passport must be less than 10 years old (even if it has 6 months or more left) Burgundy coloured EU passports will still be valid as long as they have at least 6 months left and are less than 10 years old Passports older than 10 years are classes as expired Until September 2018 the UK government were still issuing passports which could be valid for 10 years and 9 months. This practice has now stopped, however there are millions of passports in circulation believed to be valid for longer than 10 years, so travellers must check this. Always check entry requirements of the country you are visiting. For more info visit gov.uk.

Visas - General Info Tourists will not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Different rules will apply to Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania. If you visit these countries, visits to other EU countries will not count towards the 90-day total. You may need a visa or permit to stay for longer, to work or study, or for business travel. From around 2022 UK travellers will need to register and pay in advance for an Etias Permit European Travel Information and Authorisation system. Similar to the system used by the US. For the latest information please visit gov.uk

Visas 90/180 day rule From 1st Jan 2021, UK citizens travelling to Schengen Countries may only stay 90 days in any 180 days Countries not in the Schengen area are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, Ireland Ireland is part of the Common travel area that allows freedom of movement to & from the UK, including small islands. British Citizens can stay for an unlimited amount of time in the Republic of Ireland due to this. The European Union has a useful online short-stay visa calculator . What happens with over-staying? Most travellers are given a 3 day grace period. If you stay more than these 3 days you will likely be handed a ban for travel back to any Schengen country for one year, not just the country you have visited. As the 90/180 rule will apply there also, the option to fly back to the UK then back to the country of choice does not re set the duration of time spent. Your stays are tracked by officials when you return to the UK and stored on a central database.

Transport - Air The world will still keep moving after 1st January 2021, despite there currently being no aviation deal between the UK and the EU The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, says: The government s priority is to ensure that flights can continue to operate safely, securely and punctually between the UK/EU at the end of transition period, regardless of the outcome of negotiations. Air travel is vital for both the UK and the EU in connecting people and facilitating trade and tourism, and we are confident measures will be in place to allow for continued air connectivity beyond the end of 2020. There may be some teething problems in the first days especially if there are large numbers of UK travellers are refused boarding, delays should be expected.

Transport Ferries, Eurotunnel, Eurostar Like other areas of transport, things will continue to run as they did on the 31st Dec 2020. Ships, boats, ferries will still sail and trains will continue to move. The only warning is from the National Audit Office (NAO)- UK travellers taking their car(s) to France from either Dover or Eurotunnel from Folkstone could face delays. These could be in excess of 2 hours, with that time increasing during the summer period. Eurostar trains from London St.Pancras to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam will still continue to operate on 1st January 2021. Due to the current Covid restrictions the services are still limited at this time.

Driving General Licenses issued before 1st Jan 21 will still be valid since they have the EU symbol Licenses issued after 1st Jan 21 will no longer have the EU symbol and you may be required to carry extra documents with you. Some countries may need an International Driving Permit (IDP) A 1949 IDP (valid one year) is required for Spain, Cyprus and Malta The 1968 version (valid three years) is valid everywhere else in the EU The IDP is an antiquated document available at larger post offices. Take your driving licence plus a passport photo and 5.50 for each permit that you need. More info can be found at gov.uk.

Driving Insurance Under EU law 2009 motor insurance directive, as long as a vehicle is insured legally it can be driven between any of the EU countries. From 1st January 2021 you will need a Green Card from your insurance provider. A Green Card is usually free but can require some notice, usually around 2 weeks Green Cards are an official multilingual translation of your car insurance which proves you meet the minimum insurance cover requirements for your destination.

Health & Insurance The European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) and the document it replaced, the E111 will no longer be valid It s particularly important to get travel insurance with the right cover, especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition as the Ehic will no longer cover that If you enter an EU country by 31 December 2020, your Ehic will remain valid until you leave that country EU nationals in the UK will be able to apply for a British Ehic card, as will UK students studying in the European Union and some British pensioners who live in the EU, plus their families.

Mobile Roaming Roaming charges for using your mobile data outside of the UK may change from 1st January 2021 We would advise you to check with your mobile phone provider before travel to understand if there will be additional charges Charges will be set by your provider, but from the quotes below we can t see roaming charges being reintroduced: Vodafone - no plans to reintroduce roaming charges. EE - "Our customers enjoy inclusive roaming in Europe and beyond, and we don't have any plans to change this based on the Brexit outcome. So our customers going on holiday and travelling in the EU will continue to enjoy inclusive roaming. 3 - "We ll give you free EU roaming, just the same O2 - "We're committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel outside the UK. We currently have no plans to change our roaming services across Europe. For further info, click here (BBC News article dated 16/10/2020)

Border Formalities As a UK passport holder you will no longer be able to use the EU fast-track lane s at Border control. You will need to be prepared for a slower process, with a possibility of no entry granted. From the 1st of January 2021, the border control agent is required by EU law to ask more questions upon arrival, similar to the rest of the world. Examples of these could be: Purpose of your visit How long you plan to stay? Are you travelling on, if so to where and for how long? How much money you have and how you plan to fund your trip? About your health - do you pose a threat to public health (Also see info on Covid-19) Some EU Countries that have a high volume of UK travellers may make deals to continue to use these fast-track lanes (such as Spain & Portugal), but there is no confirmation of this at this time.

Customs Customs Returning back to the UK Upon arrival back to the UK from your trip, you previously could bring in goods with no limit from any EU nation. From 1st January 2021, the EU limits will now apply: Alcohol 4 litres of spirits 9 litres of sparkling wine 18 litres of still wine 16 litres of beer Cigarettes 200 duty free Other goods - 400 (approx. 430euro Remember if you exceed these limits you will be required to pay tax on the total value of the goods.

People visiting UK EU, EEA, and Swiss National ID cards will be valid for travel to the UK until October 2021 After this EU, EEA and Swiss nationals will need a passport issued from their country for travel into the UK Beyond October 2021, these National ID cards will not be acceptable for travel to the UK or for driving in the UK

Pets Currently there is no arrangement in place for taking pets out of the UK from the 1st January 2021. The UK government is still working with the EU on this. They have advised the below for the moment The UK hopes to become a Part 1 listed country under the Pet Travel Scheme from 1st January 2021 If the UK becomes an unlisted country on or after the 1st January 2021, Your pet must them have a blood sample taken, 30 days after it primary rabies vaccination Sample will be sent to an approved EU blood testing lab Wait 3 months from the date of the successful blood sample So if you start the process on 1 January 2021, you should be able to take a pet abroad from 1 May 2021. There is no change to the current process upon returning to the UK.

European Union Settlement Scheme The European Union Settlement Scheme is a scheme launched in 2019 by the Home Office to process the registration of EU citizens resident in the United Kingdom prior to its departure from the European Union. These can be accessed by clicking here