TRAVEL & STUDY
Travel & Practical Information
This page tries to bring in one place practical information and external links. The EU Delegation cannot take responsibility for such third-party content. Please always check with the relevant national authorities.
Travel and practical information
EU citizens may need a visa to come to the UK and should check if they need one before travelling. General rules applicable to EU visits are found here.
EU citizens are allowed to travel to the UK visa-free for up to six months, if they do not intend to work in the UK or study. An EU citizen may enter the UK multiple times during six months, but may not in effect live in the UK by means of repeated or continuous visits. Business travel between the EU and the UK is also more restricted than under Single Market rules. TCA facilitates some aspects of the mobility of professionals for business purposes (so called “mode 4” under GATS rules) relating to intra-corporate transferees, contractual service suppliers or independent professionals as well as business visitors.
New rules also apply to the type and validity of travel documents that the UK accepts – as from October 2021 most EU citizens will need a valid passport to enter the UK. However, citizens under the EU Settlement Scheme can still continue to use their national identity cards and they have this right for life.
Some products of animal origin are prohibited for introduction in the EU. Mutual recognition of driving licences is not always automatic. Pets travelling from the UK to the EU and to Northern Ireland need an animal health certificate by an official veterinarian.
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Entry/Exit System and European Travel Information and Authorisation System
The Schengen area is an area without internal borders, where EU citizens, non-EU residents and visitors can travel safely and freely. Every year millions of travellers from non-EU countries cross the external borders of the Schengen States and estimations point to ever-increasing traveller flows. Some of the visitors have a short-stay visa, while others come from countries for whose nationals no visa is required. This requires modern, effective and efficient management of the external borders, which strikes a balance between facilitation for travellers and internal security. The EU is planning to roll out two new border management systems in the near future, the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
- The EES is an automated IT system for registering travellers from non-EU countries, both short-stay visa holders and visa exempt travellers, each time they cross the external borders of 29 European countries using the system, both on entry and on exit. It will replace passport stamping, gradually simplify travel and make it safer.
- It is planned to enter into operation in the autumn of 2024, but the precise date is yet to be confirmed. Travellers from the UK will first encounter the new system when entering the Schengen area, which could take place at an EU / Schengen port or airport, or at one of the UK ports where France is carrying out juxtaposed Schengen entry checks on UK soil (in the port of Dover, at St Pancras Eurostar terminal in London, or at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone).
- UK nationals and their family members who are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement are exempt from registration in the EES if they hold a specific residence document from their host country, using the EES. More information on the EES can be found here: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en
- The ETIAS is an IT system created to identify security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks posed by visa-exempt visitors travelling to the Schengen States. UK nationals are required to have a valid ETIAS travel authorisation if they travel to any of the 30 European countries requiring ETIAS for a short-term stay (90 days in any 180-day period). The process will be simple, efficient and affordable. The ETIAS is due to enter into operation six months following the entry into operation of the EES. UK nationals who wish to stay longer must meet the entry requirements in accordance with national or EU migration law, such as holding a visa or residence permit.
- UK nationals and their family members who are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement are exempt from ETIAS: they may reside on the territory of their EU host country and travel to other European countries requiring ETIAS as long as they hold documents proving their status. More information on the ETIAS can be found here: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en