Long List of Little Things: Holidays & Travel

Your driving license may not be valid outside the UK

If we are no longer part of the EU mutually recognised driving licence scheme, then you may need to purchase an international driving permit (valid for one year only) to drive a car in other European countries.

You won’t be able to take your cat or dog on holiday so easily

If we’re no longer part of the EU pet passport arrangements, you may not  be able to take your dog on holiday without them having to go into quarantine. Currently around 250,000 families take their pets abroad each year.

Increased cost of holidays in Europe

These are already costing you nearly 20% more following the Brexit triggered devaluation of the pound. It is also possible, depending on the negotiations, that on entering the EU27 (or at least the “Schengen” area) countries, UK citizens will have to pay a visa charge and fill in paperwork, increasing the hassle of travelling and creating delays.

European Health Insurance Card may no longer be valid when travelling or living in EU

If you are already abroad on the date of departure, your EHIC will continue to work — but for what happens after that date, no deal has yet been reached. This may mean that individuals will have to pay for their own insurance or medical costs.

Possible return of roaming charges

Since June 2017 roaming charges for mobile phone calls and data use abroad ended for travel within the EU – a saving to consumers of around £350 million. However, Theresa May has explicitly said she wants the UK to leave the Digital Single Market. This will likely see a return of these charges for British travellers in the EU.

Queuing at road customs borders

Currently, with the free-flowing customs-free border, vehicles are cleared to cross between the UK and France in around 2 minutes. It has been calculated that additional checks – which will be necessary if the UK leaves the customs union – will increase the length of queues at peak times at Dover and Calais (as well as other ports) by ten miles per additional minute of checking time!

Trips that cross over the 29th March 2018 deadline (or the end-of-transition date)

Travellers planning to leave the UK before this date and returning after it currently have no idea what additional costs, checks or paperwork they may have to incur to return to the UK. This applies to flights and cruises and could leave some people in legal limbo with regards to compensation for delays, for example.

Extra cost of your passport

The government has said the cost of a UK passport will increase by 17% (£12.50) for postal applications after 27th March 2018. Online application costs have also increased, although not as steeply. And the Home Office has decided that the long-awaited (by some Brexiters, anyway) return of the blue British passports will be made by a company in the EU, not in the UK, and is trying to keep quiet about the fact that we do not need to leave the EU to change the colour of our passports.

No access to pan-EU disability card

A mutually recognised disability card enabling easier access to sports, culture, leisure and transport in other countries has been running in eight member states since 2016 and will be rolled out across the EU in the near future. UK citizens with disabilities will miss out on this if the UK leaves the EU.