Well it looks like 2020 has not been a great year for travel but what about 2021? What’s certain is that UK tourists travelling to Europe will see changes. Keep on reading to find out what they are from visas, where to queue at the airports and mobile roaming charges.
The UK decided to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016 and with negotiations as to what this actually meant only now being finalised, UK travellers are finally able to know what European travel will look like for them from 2021.
Summary:
Do I Need to Change My British Passport?
Will UK Tourists Travelling to Europe Need a Visa?
What About My Free Mobile Roaming!?
Will I Now Be Getting Stamps in My Passport?
Can I Still Get Free European Health Insurance?
Which Line Should UK Tourists Travelling to Europe Queue At?
Can I Still Drive in Europe?
Flight Compensations for UK Tourists Travelling to Europe
Whilst there’ll still be restrictions due to Covid, something which UK travellers should take into account are the new requirements for travel to the EU. These take effect from 1 Jan 2021.
The EU is a collection of 27 countries that share common laws including the free movement of people within them. This was the reason that travel for citizens between the countries was so easy. However, with the UK voting to leave this Union all eyes were on what the new rules would be as the UK is now free to create them as it pleases.
Below are the key points that UK tourists travelling to Europe should be aware of when it comes to European travel from 1st January 2021. For clarity, the list of countries this covers are listed below:
| Austria | Belgium | Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic |
| Denmark | Estonia | Finland | France | Germany | Greece |
| Hungary | Ireland | Italy | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg |
| Malta | Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Slovenia |
| Spain | Sweden | Switzerland* | Norway* | Iceland* | Liechtenstein* |
Do I Need to Change My British Passport?
Previously UK citizens did not even need a passport to travel to EU countries, a driving license sufficed. However, from 2021 passports will be mandatory to be carried just as though you were travelling to any other country.
Additionally you will have to make sure that on the day of travel:
1) Your passport has at least 6 months left on it and
2) Be less than 10 years old.
It is important that both of these requirements are met for travel. This means a passport expiring in 2 months even if issued less than 10 years ago will not be valid as it does not meet both criteria.
If your passport does not fit the above criteria and need to travel to Europe, it’s advised you apply for one soon as delays are expected.
Note these rules do not apply when travelling to Ireland, There are no restrictions on your passport apart from it being valid for the period you will be abroad in Ireland.
Will UK Tourists Travelling to Europe Need a Visa?
Yes and no. UK tourists travelling to Europe will not need a visa when visiting the above listed countries – if your trip is counted as a short trip. Specifically, you will not need a visa when wanting to stay for up to 90 days in any country during a 180 day period. Not following this rule may leave you with a fine or a 1 year ban from re-entering the country.
If you’re thinking of perhaps making up lost time and travelling abroad and staying for more than 90 day, then it is best to check each country’s visa rules. Something to take into account here is that the total number of days applies for all the countries in the Shengen Zone counted as one country.
There is a helpful calculator on the EU’s website to see if your trip will abide by the short stay visa rules.
Again there are no changes to visiting Ireland.
Because here at TML we’re always trying to keep you one step ahead, a future note to be aware of is that from 2022 there is likely to be a visa of some sorts for UK tourists travelling to Europe. We’ll update this in due course once the final rules and requirements have been confirmed.
What About My Free Mobile Roaming!?
I’m sure we can all agree that having free mobile roaming was one of the best things about being a member of the EU. Having no data roaming charges whilst uploading photos to Instagram, sending Snapchats to friends back home or Whatsapping one of your friends who got lost from the group whilst on holiday…felt so good! Unfortunately, with the end of EU membership so to does this come to an end – well kinda.
There is no longer a legal guarantee of free roaming across the EU since the UK has left the EU. However, there is a glimmer of hope! The four largest UK mobile operators O2, EE, Vodafone and Three have all said that they will not reintroduce mobile data roaming charges, wohoo!!
Since it is entirely up to each mobile operator to decide if and what types of charges they have, you should always check with your provider before going on holiday.
The UK government has however passed laws to inform customers when they’ve reached 80% and 100% of their data allowance. In addition to this there will be a £43 cap on mobile data charges when abroad, unless you manually opt out.
Will I Now Be Getting Stamps in my Passport?
Those of you who loved travelling around the world and collecting stamps but felt the last step missing when visiting Europe will now get your wish!
Just the same as visiting any other country around the world, UK tourists travelling to Europe will gain a stamp upon arrival and exit.
Can I Still Get Free European Health Insurance?
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gave all EU citizens free basic healthcare when travelling around Europe. This was great in an emergency and was something that travel insurers sometimes looked to see if you had when buying insurance
This however is coming to an end. Whilst any current EHICs will still be honoured until expiry, they will no longer be issued to UK residents. The UK government has plans to introduce a global version of the card but very little information on this is currently available. In the mean time the advice is to make sure you purchase adequate travel insurance.
Note EHICs will not be accepted from UK residents in Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland even if they have yet to expire.
Which Line Should UK Tourists Travelling to Europe Queue At?
There will be stricter checks for UK citizens at EU country borders. You may be asked to show your return ticket or show you have enough funds to support you during your trip.
You’d have thought after 4 years everything would’ve been finalised by now – but it hasn’t. There are ongoing talks between the UK government and the EU on if the EU queues can be used by UK travellers. As of now UK travellers will not be allowed to use the EU fast track queues and will instead have to line up in the ‘rest of the world’ queues when it comes to the border control checks at the airports.
Can I Still Drive in Europe?
Those that enjoyed driving in Europe will now need to make sure they carry specific documentation when they travel to Europe. In addition to this they well have to have a GB sticker at the back of their car.
UK drivers will need to purchase an International Driving Permit (IDP) from the post office. In addition to this you will need to get a green card from your insurer to prove you have valid insurance for your vehicle. The card is free and takes approximately 6 weeks to receive, so make sure you contact your insurer with plenty of time to spare.
Note you should check what type of IDP the country you’re visiting requires, this can be checked on the post office link above.
Flight Compensations for UK Tourists Travelling to Europe
For those not familiar with EU Rule 261/2004 – this was an EU rule which allowed compensation to be paid if your flight was cancelled or delayed. We’ve all had some sort of delays with our flights and this was a great simple law which provided travellers with compensation whenever we had some sort of travel to Europe.
Thankfully, this EU law has now been included into UK law meaning UK passengers will be able to apply for the same compensation as before according to EU Rule 261/2004.
In its simplest form the law doesn’t need you to be an EU citizen – you just have to be flying into/out of an EU country. Whilst claiming compensation for your delayed or cancelled flight might have an extra step to go through after 2021, the end result should be the same.
As the last TML post of 2020, we wish you a year of fun travels, plenty of new foodie experiences, productive financial decisions and a blessed 2021 to all our readers.
