The UK has finally secured a Brexit deal with the European Union, just days before the transition period from the country’s departure from the Bloc coming to an end – and four years and six months after the country voted to leave.
Details of the trade deal were announced by EU President Ursula von der Leyen on Christmas Eve, with the ‘good and fair deal’ determining the UK’s future relationship with the EU – following weeks of speculation that the country would crash out without a deal in place.
Naturally, the end of the transition period has left a lot of people concerned about whether or not their holidays and other travels to the continent – once travel begins to return to normal in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic – might be affected.
Just how will travelling to Europe change after the transition period is over?
As it stands, travel to Europe is largely off the cards at the moment due to coronavirus – although once travel resumes there will be changes in store.
If you’re travelling to EU countries – as well as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein – for a holiday, you won’t need a visa to visit.
However, you’ll only be allowed to stay for a maximum of 90 days total in any rolling 180-day period – with all the trips you make counting towards those 90 days.
The exception to these rules are trips to Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, where visits you may have made to other EU countries will not count towards your 90-day total.
From January 1 2021 you should also be prepared for longer waits at border control in other EU countries, where you may need to show a return or onward ticket and proof you have enough money for your stay – and you may also need to use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens on arrival.
If you plan to stay longer than 90 days for work or study, or you are travelling for business, you may need a visa or work permit for the country you are visiting – these rules may differ depending on which country you visit, so check the Foreign Office website for up to date advice.
The exception to this is Ireland, where travel will not change – and you will also be able to work there the same way as before.
Your current passport will continue to be valid as long as it is less than 10 years old and has more than six months left to run on it.
The government website says passports may need to be renewed earlier as, on the day of travel, at least six months validity is needed if travelling to EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
These rules do not apply to Ireland, where you can continue to use your passport for as long as it’s valid.
Pets will not be able to travel under the current pet passport scheme and will need to follow a different process which takes four months.
After Brexit, European Health Insurance Cards may not be valid in many EU countries, and so the appropriate travel insurance with health cover will be needed.
Those who plan to drive may also need extra documents and obtain an international driving permit for some countries.
If you’re taking your own vehicle you will need a green card and a GB sticker, while you may need a permit for some EU countries and Norway if you have a paper driving licence, or a licence issued in Gibraltar, The Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey.
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