- Rules around passports, access to healthcare, driving, pet travel and mobile phone roaming in EU and EFTA countries are changing from 1 January 2021.
- Travellers are urged to visit gov.uk/transition to check the specific actions they may need to take.
- The safety and wellbeing of British travellers remains the Government’s priority, and anyone planning to go abroad should always check travel advice on GOV.UK.
A new public information campaign is being launched today (Friday 18 September) by the UK Government to help British travellers prepare for changes when visiting Europe from 1 January 2021, following the end of the UK’s transition period.
It includes information about the new rules around passport validity, driving and travelling with pets, as well as reminding travellers to obtain comprehensive travel insurance and check official Government travel advice before going abroad.
Minister for the European Neighbourhood Wendy Morton said:
The campaign launching today will help British nationals prepare for visits to Europe by bringing together all the information they need to know in one place so they can plan in advance and get on with their trip.
Ahead of visiting Europe, travellers are being asked to visit gov.uk/transition to:
- Check their passport validity using the GOV.UK passport checker (gov.uk/checkpassport), and renew now if needed. There will be new rules around passport validity when travelling to Europe after 1 January 2021. This does not apply to Ireland.
- Purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers all needs, including healthcare. European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) may no longer be valid from January 2021; details will be published shortly.
- Check and obtain driving documents for each country, such as an International Driving Permit, if planning to drive.
- Contact a vet at least four months before departure to arrange pet travel vaccinations and documents.
- Check roaming policies with their mobile phone provider.
- Check travel advice on GOV.UK for country-specific rules, including information on coronavirus restrictions.
There are more than 60 million visits to Europe from the UK each year. To help travellers prepare, the UK Government is working in partnership with the travel industry to communicate these changes to customers.
ABTA Chief Executive Mark Tanzer said:
Europe is home to some of the most popular destinations for British holidaymakers. Many people will be making plans for travelling to Europe next year, so ABTA and its Members are keen to work with the UK Government to make customers aware of any changes that will affect their travel arrangements.
The information campaign will be live from today across a range of online and print outlets and on social media.
