Brits told 'nothing will change' when travelling to EU after Brexit
17 January 2020, 08:26
The travel industry has insisted 'nothing will change' after Brexit day - but the advice could change once the 11 month transition period ends.
ABTA, which represents thousands of businesses in the travel sector, has updated its advice ahead of Brexit day on 31 January.
The updated guidance replaces their previous advice which suggested there could be potential changes to areas such as passport validity, European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC), driving licences, taking pets abroad and data roaming.
Once the UK leaves the EU the country will enter a transition period until the end of December 2020, which means for those 11 months the country will continue to follow EU rules and regulations.
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According to the travel body, this transition period means UK passports can still be used as normal and very little will change when taking a bus or train to the continent.
Mobile phone users will find the cost of using devices abroad will stay the same in the EU as it is in the UK, while the European Health Insurance Card many travellers use for medical emergencies, will remain valid.
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Mark Tanzer, ABTA's chief executive, said: "The UK is primed to enter a new Brexit phase from 31 January when trade talks begin, and when it does nothing will change when it comes to travel.
"This means that valid passports can still be used, EHIC cards will still be valid and the same gates can be used at border checkpoints.
"People can continue to make their travel plans with confidence that things won't change until at least the end of 2020.
"As the UK's most trusted travel association, Abta has been actively providing advice to travellers throughout the Brexit process and will continue to do so as the longer term relationship with the EU becomes clearer."
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Very little has been published about the impact on travellers in 2021 and beyond once the transition period ends.
A survey of more than 2,000 UK consumers carried out in July last year suggested 31% of people were unsure how Brexit would affect their travel plans.
