Brexit Advice For Travellers

If you have a British passport, you will need to have 6 months left on your passport on your departure date to the EU. Your must also check that your passport has been issued within the last 10 years. The UK Government has published a website tool to determine if you need to renew your passport before your departure date.

The European Health Insurance Card will be valid up until its expiry date. However, once your EHIC has expired it is best that you apply for the new UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).This card will allow you to get state healthcare in Europe at a reduced cost and possibly for free. Even with the new GHIC, it is important that you take out a comprehensive travel insurance with sufficient healthcare cover, including cover for existing medical conditions and any activities you plan to do. You can check ABTA's advice on finding the right travel insurance.

Driving permits: UK travellers looking to travel by car in the EU may need an International Driving Permit for the areas you plan to drive in. Each permit costs £5.50 and is available from certain branches of the post office.

Green card for insurance: If you are driving your own car in the EU, you may need to get a physical Green Card for your insurance to be valid abroad. You should get in touch with your car insurance provider.

GB car stickers: You may need a GB car sticker for your own car when driving in the EU from 1 January 2021.

In case of a no-deal scenario, EU rules will no longer apply and you may have to deal with UK roaming prices. We advise you to check with your phone operator the costs of using your mobile phone in the EU.

At border control, you may be required to show a return or onward ticket, show you have enough money for your stay and use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queuing.

You will not need a visa to travel to the EU after Brexit. EU ambassadors agreed that, following Brexit, UK citizens coming to the Schengen area (EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) for a short stay (90 days in any 180 days) should be granted visa-free travel. However, from 2021, British travellers will still need to apply for ETIAS. ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is the name given to the new travel authorization system which will be a requirement for British citizens and 60 other nationalities who can currently visit Europe visa-free.

If you're unsure about your destination, check the Government travel advice page.

From 1 January 2021, you will not be able to take meat, milk or products containing them into EU countries. There are some exceptions and we advise you to check the rules about taking food and drink into the EU on the European Commission website.