While we still do not know definitively what will happen post our withdrawal from the European Union, the way we travel into the EU from the UK will almost certainly be subject to change.

According to the Schengen Border Regulations, passports must have been issued within the last 10 years on the date of arrival in a Schengen Area country and need to have at least 6 months remaining on the date of arrival.

Please note however, If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed. Therefore, if your passport is older than 9 and a half years old on the date of travel it is probably a good idea to renew it in advance.

Visas after Brexit

At the point of writing, the official advice from ABTA is that you shouldn’t require any visa to travel into the EU after we leave the European Union. In November 2018 The European Commission announced that, even in a no-deal situation, UK citizens will still be able to visit the EU for up to 90 days without a visa — on the condition that the same is offered to European citizens visiting the United Kingdom.

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is the electronic exemption system that the EU is planning to introduce in 2021. This is similar to the ESTA scheme in USA and will track individuals entering the area from countries that do not need a visa. UK citizens may need to pay a fee of about €7 for this exemption.

Whatever the outcome, you should still check both theABTA and the government websites in case of any changes.

Health Insurance

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) allows any EU citizen access to state medical care when they are travelling in another EU country – although here are often limitations to the level of treatment UK citizens are able to receive.

If the UK does leave the EU without a deal, the UK registered EHIC cards may no longer be valid — and because of this it is even more important to have personal health, accident and breakdown cover for your vehicle when travelling into the European Union.

Other Considerations

Many cities in Europe are introducing Low Emissions Zones in an effort to reduce pollution, you may wish to check out our other article that covers this in more depth.