What you can and cannot do after Brexit departure
Rules on travel, commerce, living, working abroad and security changed immediately when the United Kingdom left the European Union.
The move severed ties between the UK and the 27 nation bloc after 45 years.
Here are some of the changes that came into effect this year.
The freedom of movement of people between the UK and EU countries came to an end.
Up until the changes, freedom of movement within the EU enabled workers to look for a job in another EU country, work there without needing a work permit and live there for that purpose.
The UK has adopted a points-based immigration system and any EU citizen (excluding those from the Republic of Ireland) will have to have at least 70 points to obtain a visa to work here.
Points are allocated in various criteria, including job offer, speaking English at a required level, job in a shortage occupation and educational qualifications.
UK passengers travelling to EU countries can now take advantage of duty-free shopping.
Passengers are now able to snap up duty-free alcohol and tobacco in UK ports, airports and international train stations.
People returning to the United Kingdom from the European Union are now allowed to bring up to 42 litres of beer, 18 litres of wine, four litres of spirits and 200 cigarettes without paying tax.
You will now need a visa if you’re from the UK and want to stay in the EU for more than 90 days in any 180 day period.
Different rules will apply to Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania. If you go to these countries, visits to other EU countries will not count towards the 90-day total.
Travel to Ireland remains unchanged. You’ll also be able to work in Ireland in the same way as before.
If your passport has fewer than six months left before it expires, or if it is more than ten years old, you will now need to renew it to visit most
countries in Europe. The cost of renewal is between £75.50 and £85.
There are no more EU ‘pet passports’ for dogs, cats and ferrets. Instead, travellers wishing to take their animal abroad now have to visit a vet ten days to a month before travelling. The animal will need to be vaccinated or microchipped against rabies at least 21 days before travel.
A vet will need to issue a EU Model Health Certificate to enable the pet to get entry into a European Union country.
Pet owners will have to report with their animal to a Travellers’ Point of Entry once they arrive in Europe.
You may require extra documents when driving in EU countries from the UK.
Make sure you have a green card and a GB sticker if you’re taking your own vehicle.
You may also need an in
ternational driving permit (IDP) to drive in some EU countries and Norway if you have: a paper driving licence, a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.
The UK’s departure from the EU means the end of free mobile phone data and travellers should check with their network provider for potential new roaming costs.
The government has announced that it is launching a new £100 million Turiing scheme to support 35,000 students to go on placement around the world.
This will compensate for the UK having withdrawn from the Erasmus student exchange programme under Brexit.
Under the changes, the UK police force has now lost instant access to EU-wide databases on criminal records, fingerprints and wanted persons.