British citizens are used to travelling to Europe with very little formality at borders. Most EU countries are members of the Schengen Agreement, which removes passport checks and controls at the borders within the Schengen area. Provided they have a valid passport, British citizens can currently travel with no minimum or maximum validity periods required in their passports.
Rules for passports if there’s no Brexit deal
If there is no deal, different rules will apply to British citizens.
British passports will need to have at least 6 months of validity left from the date of arrival in Europe. However, where an individual previously renewed their British passport before it expired and had up to 9 extra months added onto the new passport, they need to be aware that these additional months will not count towards the 6 months validity required.
This may mean they have to apply for a new British passport before travelling abroad.
Action points
Before booking travel to Europe, British citizens should check their current passports to ensure that they will meet the new rules applicable in a no-deal Brexit.
Other travel considerations for British citizens in a no-deal scenario will be to check their travel insurance and driving licences. European Health Insurance Cards would no longer be valid so travellers need to ensure that they have adequate health insurance in place for their destination. An International driving licence may also be required to drive in Europe but applying for one of these is generally a straightforward online process.
Nyasha Gardner