A Brexit Free Trade deal was agreed between the UK and the European Union on 24″ December 2020 and came into force on 21st January 2021.
A number of issues could affect you, especially if you travel to Europe or intend to when Covid restrictions are lifted. These are the main changes that could affect you.
For full details visit: www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021
- You will need to have 6 months remaining on your passport.
- You are only allowed to stay within the EU for 90 days out of 180 (this means, for example, you can’t spend 90 days in France and another 90 days in Spain). If you want to stay longer you will need a visa.
- You may have to show that you have a return ticket on departure.
- If you drive in the EU, you will need a Green insurance card and a GB sticker on the rear of the car.
- You don’t need an international driving licence if you have a UK photo driving licence, but you do if you only have a paper licence (there are two types and if were driving to Spain through France you would need both).
- Your existing UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will remain valid until it expires. If it has already expired, you can now obtain a new UK Global Health Insurance ‘Card (GHIC). However, it is not valid in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland:
https://www.ghic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do
- You should consider travel insurance as well as a EHIC or GHIC card.
- If you buy online goods from an EU country, you may be liable to pay UK VAT on delivery and on more expensive items you may also have to pay Import duty.
- You can no longer take meat or dairy products to the EU (This has included packed lunches which have been confiscated in some countries).
