From The Times today
Travelling to Europe
From New Year’s Day, British passport-holders arriving at EU destinations will have to queue with those from the rest of the world. Air passengers arriving at Heathrow and Gatwick from the EU will continue to use the same e-gates for passport checks as British passengers. They will join those from the rest of the world only for customs checks.
The travel industry hopes Britain will strike bilateral agreements with countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece, which would give British tourists preferential treatment in exchange for similar concessions for visitors. Britain already has such agreements with America, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.
Border controls will be more intrusive, with officials asking travellers to state the purpose of their visit. It will be forbidden to take meat or milk products (even in snacks) into the EU. Airlines such as Easyjet are advising passengers to check their passports have at least six months’ validity and are less than 10 years old, even though EU guidance requires only three months’ validity.
At some time in 2022, those visiting Europe will also have to apply for a three-year Etias permit, a €7 visa waiver akin to the American Esta.
But motorists will not be required to obtain an international driving permit.Taking your pet abroad will become more complicated. Although pet passports will still be valid for those travelling from Northern Ireland, for the rest of the UK dogs, cats and ferrets must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies, which can be carried out only once they are 12 weeks old. Owners must have an animal health certificate to travel from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland and the EU.
Travellers returning from the EU will have a new duty-free allowance of 200 cigarettes, four litres of spirits or nine litres of sparkling wine, 18 litres of still wine and 42 litres of beer.
Using a mobile phone abroad should not become more expensive — at least for now. Mobile companies say they will not reimpose “roaming charges” abolished by the EU, but would be free to do so. As a protection, the government has set a cap of £45 in any billing period.
All this is assuming that you can travel to Europe. From January 1, the UK is set to be placed on the EU’s Covid-19 high-risk travel list, which means curbs on travel for weeks — or even months — until our rates of infection drop. At best, travellers may be required to produce a negative test certificate; at worst they could face a ban on non-essential travel.
Visiting your holiday home on the Continent
Matters will become more difficult for those who divide their time between Dorking and the Dordogne. They will have to obtain a visa to stay for more than 90 days out of any 180-day period within the Schengen free movement zone, to which most EU countries belong. Different rules will probably be introduced, with more generous arrangements offered by those EU countries dependent on tourism.
Working and studying abroad
Brexit means UK citizens will lose their automatic right to work in the EU, although those who have established residency by the end of this year can apply to stay. Anyone wanting to move to the EU from January 1 to work or retire will have to apply for a visa. The same is true for a Briton already resident in, say, France, who wants to work in Germany. Students at universities in Britain will no longer be able to participate in the Erasmus exchange programme, although the government has said there will be a new scheme. Students at universities in Northern Ireland will continue to be eligible under an arrangement with the Irish government.
Recent article from E lPais
https://english.elpais.com/brexit/2020-12-18/spains-brexit-fears-fewer-tourists-and-dwindling-exports.html
