Travelling in Europe Post Brexit
How the rules about Travelling in Europe post Brexit have affected our plans
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from travelling this year. Nobodys’ fault, but no less frustrating for all that. We were originally planning to cross into France at the end of September for 6 months and take in Spain and Portugal as well. We were then going to return to Blackpool Sands for the summer season 2021 before venturing off further afield next autumn. However, we have taken the decision to stay where we are until things have settled down to something approaching normality. Now, of course, the Brexit deal is done. Travelling in Europe post Brexit presents a whole new set of challenges for us.
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Travelling in Europe Post Brexit is changing From 1 January 2021
What does travelling in Europe post Brexit mean for us?
Well, for one thing, we cannot just pop over to Europe and travel where we fancy for six months which is what we were originally planning to do. Just wake up in the morning and think where do we fancy going next? That was our plan, basically just winging it.
We now need to plan our trip much more carefully. And of course there looks like there will be more paperwork involved.
There is a lot of information out there, as you would expect. But sometimes finding that particular nugget of information you want is easier said than done. The government website is great. There is a huge amount of useful information there, but it doesn’t cover every eventuality. I have spent a good deal of time trawling through the information to see what we need to do before we can travel in 2021, particularly as we will be travelling with our dog, Zeus.
Key changes which affect us that we believe we need to consider before we can go travelling in Europe post Brexit include:
- Maximum 90 days stay in a rolling 180 day period.
- Healthcare.
- Travelling with Zeus.
- Driving in Europe.
- Mobile phones.
- Border Control/passport requirements.
- Food and drink restrictions.
References / Links
Things you may need to do before you go include:
- check your passport
- get travel insurance that covers your healthcare
- check you have the right driving documents
- organise pet travel – contact your vet at least 1 month before you go
90/180 day restriction
Although the UK has now become a third country, part of the Brexit agreement was that we don’t require a visa to travel around Europe. However, we will still be bound by the 90 in 180 days rule.
The fun happens when you want to stay longer than 90 days. Which, of course, is what we are hoping to do.
There are 26 Schengen countries within Europe (named after the tiny village in Luxemburg where the original agreement was signed). They operate a borderless territory to enable people to freely move throughout the member states. A stay in any of these countries is restricted to the 90 day rule in any one 180 day period. Countries outside this scheme do not count towards this 90 day restriction. It should be noted that the Schengen countries are not exactly the same as the EU countries, although there is a large overlap.
Therefore, we have a choice. Getting a visa if we wish to stay within the Schengen area of Europe for longer than 90 days, which would have to just be for one country, or possibly 2 visa’s for two different countries. Or, spend 90 days in non Schengen countries during our travels to give us our 6 months travelling. I am still unclear whether it is possible to get a Schengen visa to cover more than 90 days travelling, but I think probably not.
We need to sit down and work out what we want to do and how to best arrange it. More research and paperwork no doubt!
Oh, and just to add more spice to the mix, from the end of 2022 there will be a requirement for all visitors that currently do not need a visa to enter Europe to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization. But that’s for another time. Future me’s problem.
- UK nationals will be able to travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa as a tourist.
- if you are travelling to Schengen countries without a visa the whole visit must be within the limit. Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel would count towards the 90-day limit.
- To stay longer in a country you will need to meet the entry requirements set out by that particular country. This could mean applying for a visa and/or work permit. You should check with the countries Embassy what type of visa and/or work permit, if any, you will need.
- if you are in a Schengen country with a visa or permit, your stay will not count towards the 90-day limit.
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-countries-list/
Healthcare
The European Health Insurance Care card (EHIC) which allows you to get emergency state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay, and also covers pre-existing conditions, is to be stopped.
Current ones are valid until they expire thanks to the Brexit deal. Fortunately, we got our EHIC cards in September 2019 so we will be okay until 2024. Unless, of course, the rules change again!
There are sketchy details in the Brexit deal referring to new cards called UK Global Healthcare Insurance Cards (GHIC) will be issued from 1st January and which will gradually replace the EHIC cards. No further information is available on these at the moment.
It is important, however, to make sure we have travel insurance before travelling in Europe post Brexit that includes comprehensive healthcare, as we will be travelling for a while. Fingers crossed won’t need it but it is better to be prepared.
You can read advice on buying travel insurance with the right cover on the UK Government website.
https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021
Remember that the EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. You should make sure your travel insurance covers your healthcare needs.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/foreign-travel-insurance
All EHIC cards issued before the end of 2020 will be valid until their expiry date.
Buried towards the end of the EU-UK Brexit deal sketchy details of this new UK-specific health insurance card is mentioned– noting it will be introduced at some point in the future.
Travelling in Europe post Brexit with Zeus
EU pet passports issued in the UK are no longer valid from the 1st January 2021. An animal health certificate (AHC) is required instead, which has to be issued by a vet. However, Zeus has a passport from Cyprus. This will remain valid and should get us back to the UK. Just to be sure I have emailed DEFRA to find out if I can use this to travel around Europe. I can’t think of any reason why not to but we don’t want to get to a border and be turned away. I also plan double checking with my vet.
You have to use an Official vet (one authorised to complete passports / AHC) and I am lucky that there is one within the vet practice we usually use for Zeus – https://filhamparkvets.co.uk/
Zeus had his rabies jab in July so we don’t have to worry about that. Had we left the EU without a deal we might have had a delay as he would have needed a blood test at least 30 days after the jab and it takes up to four months to get the results. Carol had numerous discussions with the vet and as the cost was about £140, decided to sweat it out. It was getting close with such a late Brexit deal had we still been planning on travelling now.
Some countries will require us to give Zeus a tapeworm tablet. Well not us – a vet needs to do and record it. If we then travel straight back to the UK from any of these countries then we don’t need any further treatment. If we go elsewhere before returning to the UK then we will need to find another vet to administer a tapeworm tablet no more than 5 days before arriving back in the UK.
Something thing that worries me – Carol has seen we can travel with up to 5 dogs. I may need to rethink our plan to visit animal rescue centres as we travel!
From 1 January 2021 you will not be able to use the existing pet passport scheme. Instead, you’ll need an animal health certificate (AHC) for your pet.
https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-from-1-january-2021
Driving in Europe
The rules about driving in Europe aren’t changing a great deal. It looks like we only need a green card in addition to the things we already have and will be travelling with anyway.
People with paper driving licenses need an international driving permit but as we have the plastic card ones we don’t think we need one for the places we are planning to visit this time around. It is always worth checking beforehand, however, about the specific requirements for each country you are planning to visit.
Must take things include:
- Vehicle logbook
- Motor insurance certificate
- GB sticker (even if already have on number plate)
- Driving license (check not about to expire)
- Green card
There are still the previous requirements like red triangles, first aid kids, spare bulbs, and breathalysers that some countries require we need to have.
Green cards can take a while to get so we need to allow plenty of time to get one. Fortunately, our insurer will issue them free. Some insurance companies charge.
Another thing to consider is European breakdown cover. As we will be travelling in an older motorhome we have already organised this. Definitely something worth thinking about.
You may need extra documents from 1 January 2021 to drive in Europe.
If you’re taking your own vehicle, you will need a green card and a GB sticker.
You might also need an international driving permit (IDP) to drive in some EU countries
https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021
https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit
Mobile phones
We no longer have the EU safety net of free-roaming but the Government has put restrictions in place to avoid high charges and tariffs whilst travelling in Europe post Brexit.
Checking with our mobile phone provider they are one of several who have stated that they have no plans to reintroduce roaming charges at this time.
Obviously, this is something we need to keep an eye on before we travel. If it turns out that using our current network provider whilst travelling isn’t viable then we will have to explore other options. For example using local prepaid sim cards, wi-fi only or using portable wi-fi devices.
If you are planning to travel further afield then data roaming charges, and how to avoid them, will definitely be something you have to consider.
From 1 January 2021, the guarantee of free mobile phone roaming throughout the EU will end. Check with your phone operator to find out about any roaming charges you might get.
Border control/passport requirements
We have our new UK passports already as we got those during the Summer. It only took a couple of weeks but we would advise you to give yourself more time than that.
We cannot join the EU queue anymore at border control and will have to go through the non-EU lane. Although that always seems to be empty so maybe it will be quicker for us? Only joking, I imagine there will be all sorts of additional checks and searches meaning things will only progress slowly. Time will tell.
As we will be travelling with Zeus we have to go to a Travellers point of entry (TPE). Maybe we will miss the EU/non-EU queues anyway. We will have to wait and see. Knowing our luck we will have to queue twice.
We may also have to prove we have enough money to cover the length of our stay and possibly show a return or onward ticket.
You may need to renew your British passport if you’re travelling to an EU country. On the day you travel, you’ll need your passport to both:
- have at least 6 months left
- be less than 10 years old (even if it has 6 months or more left)
At border control, you may need to:
- show a return or onward ticket
- show you have enough money for your stay
- use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queueing
Food and drink restrictions
We definitely hadn’t thought of this but we will be restricted on what we take with us. Even the cheese and ham sandwich in your packed lunch will not be allowed.
We are planning to buy local food as we travel anyway. It is a major part of what we are hoping to do as we travel. After all, I am a “semi retired chef now travelling the world on a foodie quest to discover what real people cook using the local seasonal produce available to them”.
However, the cupboards will not be empty before we go so we will need to check on things like herbs and dry goods that we tend to have in the van as back up.
We can bring in up to 2 kg of live snails though!
Zeus is a very fussy boy but the maximum amount of food we can take for him is 2 kg in unopened tins/bags. Guess I may end up cooking for Zeus too.
From 1 January 2021, there are some restrictions on what can be taken into the EU.
https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021
https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/animalproducts/personal_imports_en
https://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/plant_health_biosecurity/non_eu_trade_en
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