The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
From passports to roaming charges – what the Brexit deal means for travellers
Anyone visiting an EU country now needs a passport that has at least six months of validity remaining. Millions of Britons whose passports are due to expire in the next year are being urged to apply for a new one now, a situation that is likely to cause a stampede of renewals at UK passport offices. The Passport Office’s turnaround time is already approximately three weeks for online applications, according to the Home Office. This means that those hoping to travel in early 2021 with an expiring passport will need to renew it as soon as possible.
Those who do not renew in time will not be able to travel to most EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Travel between the UK and Ireland is covered not by membership of the EU but by separate arrangements for the Common Travel Area, which covers the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. You can continue to use your passport as long as it’s valid for the length of your stay.
To complicate matters further, some people whose passports do not expire until the end of this year or even the beginning of next year may also be turned away when entering the EU. Some UK passports have up to 10 years and nine months of validity, but the EU will now ignore the additional nine months.
VISAS
The Government says tourists do not need a visa for short trips to EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. “You’ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period,” it adds. “You may need a visa or permit to stay for longer, to work or study, or for business travel.” Note that separate trips to separate EU countries count towards your 90-day limit. This limit has been highlighted as a major problem for second-home owners who are used to travelling more regularly to their European bolt-hole.
The European Commission previously said that, after Brexit, UK passport holders would need to apply for a new ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) visa waiver. This is similar to an American ESTA, will probably cost around £6 and be valid for several years. However, its introduction was recently postponed until 2023.
Despite this, we may find it takes longer for UK citizens to be processed at airports and other immigration points to the EU. The European Tourism Association has estimated that, even under the ETIAS scheme, additional checks could add an extra 90 seconds for each UK passport holder. That would mean in theory that it would take an additional five hours to process a 737 aircraft full of British passengers. In practice, it seems likely most airports will bolster immigration staff to reduce delays.
Once we are inside the EU, of course, we will be free to travel within the Schengen Area (which comprises most EU countries) as there are no further border controls. All this assumes the ending of any temporary restrictions because of Covid-19.
HEALTH AND EHICS
Under the transition arrangements, British passport holders have been entitled to free or reduced-cost medical treatment in EU countries during 2020. A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC, formerly E111) is proof of this entitlement. EHICs issued before the end of this year will remain valid until their expiry date. On Dec 17, the Government announced it would replace the EHIC arrangements and cover the cost of emergency treatment or necessary treatment for pre-existing conditions for British people on holiday in the EU. Full details have yet to be announced, and, as with EHIC, it will not be an alternative to full travel insurance.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Some key consumer rights will not change because of Brexit. The EU
Travel Directive, which guarantees financial protection against the failure of your holiday operator and which was so important to all those who got stranded or lost their holidays when Thomas Cook collapsed last year, is enshrined in British law. If the Government wanted to water down those protections – which seems unlikely – it would have to change the law. Meanwhile, the remarkably high levels of compensation for delayed or cancelled flights that are covered under another EU directive are also part of UK law.
DRIVING LICENCES
Under the agreement of Dec 24, British citizens driving in EU countries can continue to use their UK driving licence as long as it is the plastic, credit cardsized one, not the old paper version. However, if you take your own car abroad from this year, you may need to arrange additional cover with your insurer and carry a Green Card to prove that you have done this.
ROAMING CHARGES
UK mobile users are no longer automatically entitled to free roaming. However, Vodafone, O2 and Three have indicated they will continue to offer it. The trade deal brokered on Christmas Eve does not carry over the ban on roaming charges, but does say both sides must encourage providers to have “transparent and reasonable rates”.
Government guidance tells British travellers to check with their mobile provider to see what charges they will face and it has said it will cap automatic data charges at £45 a month for operators that do not continue to offer free roaming.
PETS
British pet owners are no longer able to use the existing pet passport scheme. Instead, you will need to take the following steps: have your dog, cat or ferret microchipped; vaccinate your pet against rabies; wait 21 days after primary vaccination before travel; visit your vet to get an Animal Health Certificate for your pet no more than 10 days before travel to the EU. Your pet will need to enter the EU through a designated Travellers’ Point of Entry, where you will need to present proof of your pet’s microchip, rabies vaccination and tapeworm treatment. You will need a pet passport to bring your pet back into the UK.
DUTY-FREE SHOPPING
We lost the right to buy duty free when travelling between EU countries in 1999. But we gained the right to bring home virtually unlimited amounts of duty paid goods – such as wine from France, where it is significantly cheaper than in the UK. The Government says that we will now be able to buy dutyfree tobacco and alcohol when travelling to the EU, but it is still unclear exactly what the allowances will be and whether there will be changes to the duty paid arrangements.