Travel visas after Brexit
Tourists do not need a visa for short trips to the EU of up to 90 days in any 180 day period. You may need a visa or permit to stay for longer and we recommend checking the relevant country information within the Foreign travel advice section of the gov.uk website for more information. Link here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Regular travellers to Europe should be aware of the Schengen area which is a zone covering most, but not all, EU countries and any days spent in any country within this zone counts towards the 90 day limit. The 90 days start counting as soon as you enter the Schengen zone and visits to any Schengen country within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days.
More information on which countries are part of the Schengen zone plus how to calculate the 90 days in 180 days rule can be found on this website https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/visa-calculator/
Note: The Republic of Ireland is not in the Schengen zone so days spent travelling there do not count towards the 90 day limit.
Will EES affect my travel?
The Entry and Exit System (EES) is an electronic system that the EU is planning to introduce to capture details of all non-EU nationals arriving into and leaving the Schengen area. The information required at the border includes the person`s name, travel documents, biometric data such as fingerprints and the place of entry and exit.
The planned launch date is in the Autumn of 2024 and this may mean that border checks take a little longer to complete.
Will ETIAS affect my travel?
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is an electronic system that the EU is planning to implement to track individuals entering the area from countries that do not need a visa, much like the ESTA scheme in the USA.
The planned launch date is May 2025 and UK citizens may need to pay a fee of around 7 Euros for this online pre-travel authorisation check.