Travelling To The EU From 1 January 2021

The Government has put together a “Visit Europe from 1 January 2021” webpage.

This can be found at:  https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021

This page tells you how to prepare if you’re planning on travelling to Europe from 1 January 2021. It will be updated if anything changes.

Current guidance at the 1 October 2020 is:

PASSPORT: CHECK IF YOU NEED TO RENEW

You may need to renew your British passport earlier if you’re travelling from 1 January 2021.

On the day you travel, you’ll need your passport to both:

• have at least 6 months left
• be less than 10 years old (even if it has 6 months or more left)

If you do not renew your passport, you may not be able to travel to most EU countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

You can check whether your passport is valid for the country you are visiting.

These rules do not apply to travel to Ireland. You can continue to use your passport as long as it’s valid for the length of your stay.

HEALTHCARE CHECK YOU’RE COVERED

You should always get appropriate travel insurance with healthcare cover before you go abroad.

Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will be valid up to 31 December 2020.

It’s particularly important you get travel insurance with the right cover if you have a pre-existing medical condition. This is because the EHIC scheme covers pre-existing conditions, while many travel insurance policies do not.

ENTERING OTHER COUNTRIES

Border control: you may have to show your return ticket and money

At border control, you may need to:

• show a return or onward ticket
• show you have enough money for your stay
• use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queueing

VISAS FOR SHORT TRIPS: YOU WILL NEED ONE IF YOU’RE NOT A TOURIST

If you are a tourist, you will not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You will 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.

Check each country’s travel advice page for information on how to get a visa or permit.

Travel to Ireland will not change from 1 January 2021. You will also be able to work in Ireland in the same way as before.

Travel

There may be changes from 1 January 2021. What these are will depend on how you are travelling.

Driving

You may need extra documents from 1 January 2021.

You might need an international driving permit (IDP) to drive in some countries.

If you are taking your own vehicle, you might also need a ‘green card’ or valid proof of insurance and a GB sticker.

PET TRAVEL: ALLOW AT LEAST 4 MONTHS TO ARRANGE

From 1 January 2021 you will not be able to use the existing pet passport scheme. Instead you will need to follow a different process, which takes 4 months.

Follow the guidance about pet travel to Europe from 1 January 2021 here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit

MOBILE ROAMING: FREE ROAMING MAY END

From 1 January 2021, the guarantee of free mobile phone roaming throughout the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will end.

Check with your phone operator to find out about any roaming charges you might get from 1 January 2021.

A new law means that you are protected from getting mobile data charges above £45 without you knowing.

Once you reach £45, you need to opt in to spend more so that you can continue using the internet while you are abroad. Your phone operator will tell how you can do this.

OTHER CHANGES FROM 1 JANUARY

You will need to declare cash of £10,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency) if you take it between the UK and any other country.

If you are a business you may need to make a customs declaration if you take goods with you to sell abroad or use for business.

For more information, Book a Free Consultation