Changes to travelling to the EU and access to healthcare after Brexit

Yes, UK citizens are allowed to stay in the EU for 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, and the same will apply for non-resident EU citizens in the UK.

If you plan to travel to the EEA, there are a number of things you’ll need to consider before you travel, and you might need to act now. 

This might include obtaining a green card if you’re a motorist and checking the terms of any insurance policies you hold including travel insurance. There are also new requirements on pet travel.

The deal negotiated by the UK government will allow those issued with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before the end of 2020 to continue to use it before its expiry date.

If you’re travelling to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, your EHIC will not be valid. We strongly recommend taking out travel insurance regardless, to cover all eventualities.

The government has announced plans to issue a UK Global Health Insurance Card. There’s more information on this below.

You can still go to the EU, but you’ll have to check a few things, and possibly apply for extra documents.

Things you might need to do before you go include:

• checking your passport
• getting travel insurance that covers your healthcare
• checking you have the right driving documents
• organising pet travel – contact your vet at least four months before you go.

Before you book your travel, you need to check that both adult and child passports have at least six months to run before they expire.

Any new rules will apply to passports issued by the UK, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey.

If you already have a passport, it will still be valid until the date it expires. Existing rules will still apply.

Be aware that all new passports are now blue instead of burgundy red.

If you renewed a ten-year adult passport before it expired, extra months might have been added to your new passport’s expiry date. This makes it valid for more than ten years.

Any extra months on your passport over the ten-year limit might not count towards the six months that must be remaining on your passport for travel to most countries in Europe.

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gave you access to state healthcare in the European Economic Area (EEA), plus Switzerland. You were effectively treated as a resident of the country were in. This allowed you to get treatment either at a reduced cost or for free by the state healthcare system of that country.

The deal negotiated by the UK government allows those issued with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before the end of 2020 to continue to use it before its expiry date. If you’re travelling to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, your EHIC is no longer valid. We still strongly recommend taking out travel insurance, regardless, to cover all eventualities.

If you have annual travel insurance, we recommend checking the terms of the insurance policy to make sure it provides the cover you need. Should your insurance policy be affected, your insurance provider should tell you.

The government now issues a UK Global Health Insurance Card. Similar to the EHIC, it allows state-provided medical treatment if people fall ill or have an accident in the EU.

It will cover chronic or existing illnesses, routine maternity care and emergencies.

Specialised treatment, such as dialysis, will need ‘a prior agreement’ to make sure it’s available.

The deal negotiated by the UK government allows those issued with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before the end of 2020 to continue to use it before its expiry date. The EHIC gives you the right to access emergency state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in those countries.

The EHIC card was never an alternative to travel insurance. It wouldn’t have covered private medical healthcare or costs, such as mountain rescue in ski resorts, being flown back to the UK, or lost or stolen property, and was not valid on cruises.

Our advice remains that having travel insurance which covers your healthcare needs remains an essential requirement when travelling.

It’s important to make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your travel insurance policy, and that you’re happy with the level of healthcare and travel disruption cover it provides.

If you have an existing travel insurance policy that’s been affected due to the ending of the implementation period with the EU, your travel insurance provider should let you know.

If you already have travel insurance to cover your trip, your insurer should let you know if there’ll be any changes to the way your policy is serviced.

If you have questions about what your travel insurance policy covers, contact your insurer.

There were no changes to the rights and status of EU nationals living in the UK until 30 June 2021. 

You and your family should apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to protect your ability to access healthcare. The scheme opened on 30 March 2019.

The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) and the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) lets you get state healthcare in Europe free or at a reduced cost.

Anyone applying now will get the new UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) instead of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). They’re both valid if you’re travelling to an EU country.

Anyone travelling to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, will no longer be covered. They’ll need travel insurance with an appropriate level of healthcare cover to meet their requirements if needed.

Some people can apply for a new UK EHIC that they can continue to use in the EU and will still include Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. People who can apply for the new card include:

• UK students studying in the EU
• some British State Pensioners who live in the EU and their families
• EU nationals in the UK.

You can apply for a European Health Insurance Card or the UK Global Health Insurance Card by calling 0300 330 1350. Or visit the GOV.UK websiteThe card is free

It’s important not use any third-party sites as they’re likely to charge a fee.

Be aware that none of the cards above will cover repatriation back to the UK free of charge. If you fall seriously ill or suffer a serious accident abroad, only travel insurance will cover you.

Not really. The ‘global’ nature of the new card is limited to countries that the UK has an existing reciprocal agreement with. This will initially include Australia, New Zealand, Gibraltar, the non-EU nations of the former Yugoslavia, some UK territories in the Caribbean, plus the remote Atlantic islands of the Falklands and St Helena.

EU Regulation 261 establishes the rights of passengers – including their right to compensation and assistance – if they’re denied boarding against their will, or if their flight is cancelled or delayed.

Air passengers on a flight departing the UK will have the same passenger rights as before. This is because EU passenger rights legislation were retained in domestic law by the EU Withdrawal Act.

This means that passengers subject to denied boarding, delay or cancellation would be entitled to assistance and compensation on the same basis as before the UK left the EU.

The government has said flight delay compensation rules will remain the same, as its flight delay compensation rules will remain the same. This is because it has written EU261 into UK law.

If you're on a flight to or from an EU country which – due to the airline's fault – is delayed by more than three hours or your flight is cancelled, you’re still entitled to between £110 and £520 per person in compensation.  

EU travel firms catering to UK consumers will also still have to provide compensation if their company goes bust.

Find out more about your rights for claiming compensation for flights to or from the EU and the UK on the CAA website  or on the MoneySavingExpert website

EU rules and regulations on mobile roaming no longer apply. The four main mobile operators – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – have all said they have no current plans to reintroduce roaming surcharges.

This isn’t guaranteed so it’s possible roaming charges could be introduced.

To safeguard consumers, a £45-a-month limit on the amount that can be charged for using mobile data abroad has been introduced.

Customers have to opt in if they want to exceed this cap. They are informed when they’ve reached 80% and 100% of their data allowances.

If you’re in Northern Ireland, mobile phone operators need to take ‘reasonable steps’ to help avoid customers being charged for accidental roaming because of receiving a signal from the Republic of Ireland.

Mobile roaming charges depend on your network.

Check with your phone company for any extra charges.

The UK government has passed a law to make sure operators continue to prevent your data roaming charges going beyond £45 per monthly billing period. This is unless you actively choose to use more data.

But it’s important to check what your mobile network says about roaming before you travel abroad.

Yes, UK citizens can still take dogs, cats and ferrets to and from the EU. Pet passports for travel in the EU are no longer valid. Pet owners will need to contact their vets four months before any planned travel to the EU.

To make sure your pet can travel from the UK to the EU in any scenario, contact your vet for the latest advice.

Yes, you’ll still be able to take your vehicle with you when you travel to the EU. However, you might need to get a green card from your insurance provider. A green card proves you have the necessary motor insurance.

This includes travel between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Not having a green card could result in a fine or require you to buy extra insurance. 

This will need to be on printed paper – PDFs on an electronic device such as a mobile phone won’t be acceptable. Your motor insurance provider will usually provide you with one for free.

The Association of British Insurers has previously recommended you should contact your provider at least a month before you travel to request one.

If you’re living in the EU and are currently a UK licence holder, you might need to exchange your licence for a local one. The deadline for this depends on the country you’re living in.