Drivers face £5 charge to enter Europe
BRITISH motorists could have to pay £5.50 to drive in France, Spain and elsewhere in Europe under plans being drawn up for a No Deal Brexit.
Combined with Brussels plans to charge British visitors a £6 fee for visa-free travel across the EU – whether we leave with a deal or not – it means UK motorists will have to stump up more than £11 for the right to drive on the Continent.
The AA estimates that up to 7 million international driving permits may be required in the first year in the case of No Deal.
The plans are revealed in a private letter from Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to Tory MPs designed to ease concerns over travel arrangements for people booking summer holidays now.
But the letter caused more confusion by wrongly informing MPs that the permits alone would cost £10. Sources close to the Transport Secretary last night blamed a ‘typing error’ for the blunder.
British drivers currently need only t heir plastic UK driving licence to drive in EU countries.
But there are fears that, if we leave without a deal, motorists will need to acquire the International Driving Permit (IDP) as well.
The document is already required or recommended for more than 140 countries.
Currently, only 89 Post Offices issue the permit but that will increase to 2,500 under the new plans, although the document can also be obtained online.
Mr Grayling told MPs: ‘For those who are travelling across the Channel to France or other European destinations, in case they are needed, we have arranged for the Post Office to issue International Driving Permits. These will be available from local Post Offices in February, and will cost £10.’
After inquiring with both the Post Office and the Department for Transport, The Mail on Sunday was assured there were no plans to increase the current £5.50 fee for an IDP, which lasts 12 months.
Sources close to the Transport Secretary last night said that he hoped the extra paperwork would not be necessary ecessary as he expected the Government ernment would be able to strike a deal with Brussels.
However, yesterday it emerged d that the EU was s al so planning to charge Britons ns to enter E ur opepe under a visa-waiver ver scheme. Anyone aged ged from 18 to 70 would ould have to pay for a pass that would last for three years.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) could be introduced from 2021, after the end of the planned Brexit transition period.
But the move has sparked warnings of a tit-for-tat response from the UK and anger from Tory MPs, given how much British tourists contribute to European resorts.
The threat of EU access permits comes amid growing concern within Theresa May’s Cabinet over the country’s preparations for No Deal.
Last month, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Environment Secretary Michael Gove had been convinced to back Theresa May’s Brexit deal after being told that Britain would run out of clean drinking water within days of a No Deal Dea Brexit. Whitehall disaster dis planners wa warned Ministers tha that leaving the EU wi without a deal could sp spark a national cris sis as crucial chemi icals used in water purification p are imported from Europe, with the deliveries at risk of being caught up in weeks of border chaos if Britain quits the EU in March without a deal. The vital chemicals are timed to arrive ‘just in time’ and cannot be stockpiled as they are too volatile, meaning water plants would have to turn off the taps as soon as they ran out or risk poisoning millions. Offices and schools would close and hospitals plunge into chaos. The warning was contained in secret Whitehall contingency plans codenamed Operation Yellowhammer. However, pro-Brexit MPs have dismissed many of the warnings as a rerun of Remainers’ socalled ‘ Project Fear’ operation during the 2016 referendum. In his letter to Tory MPs, Mr Grayling sought to calm fears over post-Brexit transport problems – including possible flight disruptions – and reassure ‘holidaymakers next summer as they prepare to book holidays’.
He said: ‘We have now concluded almost all of the third-country aviation arrangements we will need outside the EU for post-Brexit Britain. Within the EU, both we and the (European) Commission have been clear that in all circumstances there will be an agreement between the UK and the EU after Brexit, enabling routine aviation between UK airports and the EU to continue as normal.
‘All airlines are confidently selling tickets for next summer and some, such as Ryanair, are actually increasing their routes from the UK to the EU.
‘I hope this reassures you that we do not expect any issues for your constituents looking to book their summer holidays over the Christmas period.’
The Post Office last night said: ‘We’re pleased to be able to extend the number of branches offering IDPs to 2,500 from February 1.’
It added that it would expand the service whether there was a Brexit deal or not.