101 UK Brexit Notes

Connemara Programme October 16 2018 pg. 58 Travel: Entry to EU with a UK passport Before 29 March 2019 Most EU countries (though not the UK) are members of the Schengen Agreement. This agreement removes passport checks and border controls at the borders between countries within the Schengen area . People can travel around the area as if it is one country. If you’re a British citizen, as an EU national, you’re currently able to enter the Schengen area if you have a valid passport. There’s no requirement for British passports to have a minimum or maximum validity period remaining when you enter or leave the Schengen area. The following are members of th e Schengen Agreement : Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. These EU countries are not in the Schengen area: Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus. After March 2019 if there’s no deal After 29 March 2019, if you’re a British passport holder (including passports issued by the Crown Dependencies and Gibraltar), you’ll be considered a third country national - under the Code and will therefore need to comply with different rules to enter and travel around the Schengen area. Third-country nationals are citizens of countries (like Australia, Canada and the USA) which do not belong to the EU or the European Economic Area. According to the Schengen Border Code, third country passports must:  have been issued within the last 10 years on the date of arrival in a Schengen country, and  have at least 3 months’ validity remaining on the date of intended departure from the last country visited in the Schengen area. Because third country nationals can remain in the Schengen area for 90 days (approximately 3 months), the actual check carried out could be that the passport has at least 6 months’ validity remaining on the date of arrival. If you plan to travel to the Schengen area after 29 March 2019, to avoid any possibility of your adult British passport not complying with the Schengen Border Code we suggest that you check the issue date and make sure your passport is no older than 9 years and 6 months on the day of travel. For example, if you’re planning to travel to the Schengen area on 30 March 2019, your passport should have an issue date on or after 1 October 2009. If your passport does not meet these criteria, you may be denied entry to any of the Schengen area countries, and you should renew your passport before you travel. The easiest way t o renew your passport is online. Or find out abou t other ways of applying to renew your passport . If you are planning travel after 29 March 2019, and your passport will be affected by the new validity rules, we recommend you consider renewing your passport soon to avoid any delay, as the passport issuing service can get busy, especially in the spring. If you are a parent or guardian: For 5-year child passports issued to under-16s, check the expiry date and make sure there will be at least 6 months’ validity remaining on the date of travel. For example, a child planning to travel to the Schengen area on 30 March 2019 should have a passport with an expiry date on or after 1 October 2019. If a child’s passport does not meet these criteria, they may be denied entry to any of the Schengen area countries, and you should renew their passport before travel. The easiest way t o renew a child’s passport i s online. Or find out about other ways of applying to renew a child’s passport . Travelling to countries which are in the EU but not in the Schengen area For countries that are in the EU but not in the Schengen area, you’ll need to check the entry requirements for the country you’re travelling to before you travel. Travel to Ireland after EU exit Travel to Ireland is subject to separate Common Travel Area arrangements which will be maintained after the UK leaves the EU. Further details on travel to Ireland can be found here . Passports with validity over 10 years (5 years for children) Since 2001, some adult British passports were issued with a validity longer than 10 years. This is because if you renewed your passport before it expired you were allowed to have the time left on your old passport added to your new passport. The maximum validity period possible was 10 years and 9 months. This means you can’t use the expiry date to check if your adult passport will be valid under the new rules.