On January 1st, 2021, the United Kingdom will finally leave the European Union. This means that traveling between the EU and the UK will become more complicated.
Last Thursday, the European Commission released contingency measures that suggest that flights between the Union and the UK will continue to operate. But whether the Brits will be able to travel to a Member State any time soon remains a mystery. According to the EU’s COVID-19 travel restrictions, extra-EU citizens cannot enter the Union for non-essential reasons, with some exceptions for countries with a very low infection rate (which does not include Britain). Everyone traveling between the United Kingdom and the EU in the upcoming weeks, will have to keep in mind some essential things.
Firstly, all UK citizens traveling to the EU will have to make sure that their passport has at least six months of validity and is less than 10 years old. However, Common Travel Area rules on travel documents will not change, meaning that the passport rule does not apply to travel to Ireland. From the new year, citizens of the EU and the Schengen area can still travel to the UK using their passport or I.D. card without a visa. Visa will be required only for long stays (more than 3 months). However, starting from October 1st, 2021, the UK will only accept passports.
Secondly, health insurance coverage provided through the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will no longer be valid for UK citizens. Hence, UK people should buy travel insurance with health care before traveling. Even European citizens are recommended to purchase a private health insurance when traveling to Britain, as the EHIC won’t be valid in the United Kingdom anymore.
Brexit will affect driving licenses as well. British motorists will need a “GB” sticker on their cars, as well as a vehicle logbook and an insurance certificate. They also may need an international driving permit to drive on the EU. But the type of permit required will depend on the countries Brits will drive through. Further details are supposed to be released before the end of 2020. If they are towing a caravan or trailer, Brits will also need another Green Card. EU citizens driving in the UK will need proof of insurance, but not an international driving permit.
From January 1, duty-free shopping will be extended to British tourists returning from the EU. UK Citizens re-entering their country will be allowed to carry with them 16 liters of beer, 4 liters of wine and 1 liter of spirits without paying duty. They’ll also be able to buy duty-free tobacco products, for a maximum of 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco.
Finally, Brexit will have some implications for mobile roaming as well. Although most UK-based mobile operators have declared that they won’t reintroduce charges, many EU roaming policies will no longer be guaranteed for Brits traveling within the EU. In order to safeguard consumers, the UK government has passed a legislation that includes monthly limits on charges. People living on both sides of the Irish border and residents of Kent will have to pay attention to accidental roaming charges that they might incur. According to the UK government, EU citizens traveling to the UK will pay the same charges for calls, texts and mobile data in the UK and the EU if they have a SIM card issued by an EU or EEA mobile phone network.
