Travelling Around Europe: What’s Changed for UK Citizens?

When was the last time you took an extended trip through Europe? Perhaps you managed to squeeze in a sun-seeking holiday to Spain, Greece, Cyprus, or somewhere similar in the latter half of summer 2021.

But as far as going on a road trip across continental Europe goes, or perhaps swapping the car or camper van for a classic Interrail adventure by train, or even hopping around Mediterranean islands and coasts on a cruise – you’re probably talking two years, minimum.

Oh, how things have changed. That was then, this is now. Of course, COVID-19 happened, with all the fallout that has had for overseas travel. But way back in 2019, the UK was still part of the EU. That meant that Brits could roam around the other 26 member states, plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, as an EU citizen – or in other words, with more or less complete freedom.

That is no longer the case. Since the Brexit transition period ended on December 31st, 2020, UK citizens have been treated not as quasi-domestic travelers across all EU nations, but as third-party foreign nationals, subject to similar rules and restrictions as the rest of the world.

So what exactly is different? If you’re looking forward to reacquainting yourself with Europe’s highways and byways again, you might understandably be concerned about what awaits you. But never fear – although some of the rules are slightly different, you won’t run into any active attempts to keep you out just because of your passport. Given how important UK tourism is to many EU countries, just the opposite in fact.

Here’s an overview of what you need to know about taking the European grand tour post-Brexit and post-COVID.

Getting in (and hanging around)

The first thing you will probably notice on arriving in Europe (if you fly, at any rate) is that you will no longer be able to use the EU/EEA passport lane. This may or may not involve more queuing – that really depends on where you arrive and what other flights have just touched down. You will also get your passport stamped, which is a novelty many people will enjoy.

What you won’t have to do once you have had your passport stamped on arrival in one country is go through border control when crossing between EU and EEA members (that’s Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein again). Or that’s the theory, anyway.

The Schengen Zone established unrestricted travel throughout the EU for everyone, including foreign nationals once they have been approved for entry at one border. But national border controls were reimposed to halt the spread of COVID and are still in the process of being lifted. Depending on when and where you travel, you may have to go through land border checkpoints.

That is also the case if you want to travel into Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria, which are EU members but not part of the Schengen Zone, and of course, if you want to head into adjacent non-EU countries like Ukraine, Serbia, or Turkey.

Another thing to be aware of is thkach.howe@gtravelgurus.com

DISCLOSURE: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. So when you make a purchase we sometimes make a small commission, at no extra cost to you. The cost to you remains the same, sometimes even cheaper if we have negotiated a special deal for our readers.We use all of the companies we have listed here and that’s why they are in this list, but of course we need to keep GTravel Gurus running as well as it can, which is exactly what you’re helping with if you do decide to buy or book something through an affiliate link! If you have any more questions about the companies we use or any other companies you’re looking at, just email us and we’ll be happy to help.Please see our full disclaimer page for more information.