Please refresh this page each time you visit to ensure you're reading the latest version. Updated: 29 July 2024
Post Brexit Standard Requirements
Post Brexit Standard Requirements
- Proof of medical cover (EHIC/GHIC)
- Proof of repatriation cover (private insurance).
- Valid British passport
- Valid UK driving licence (International driving permit is not a requirement)
- Car insurance
- Car logbook
- UK car sticker (previously a GB sticker)
- Proof of accommodation or proof of financial means to pay. Special rules for stays in a private home
- Return ticket or proof of financial means to pay
Travellers using the M20 for Dover and Folkestone Eurotunnel can expect more frequent delays in both directions owing to the use of Operation Brock, the motorway contraflow system in place to regulate heavy freight and car traffic especially when at a standstill. This includes closure of the motorway at night for the concrete blocks to be placed. Motorists can and should automatically check the status of Operation Brock before setting out to help accurately estimate their travel and port check-in times. https://nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-updates/operation-brock.
See also the Highways Agency latest travel updates here https://www.trafficengland.com/ as well as live traffic alerts from Google Maps and Waze
See also the Highways Agency latest travel updates here https://www.trafficengland.com/ as well as live traffic alerts from Google Maps and Waze
Medical Insurance
Proof of insurance to cover all medical expenses - If you still have an unexpired NHS-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that will be acceptable medical cover but that card is not renewable. Instead you must apply in the UK for an NHS-issued GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) which will be recognised in the EU for emergency only medical treatment. Consider getting private medical cover in addition . Apply for your GHIC valid 5 years: https://www.ghic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do
Proof of insurance to cover all medical expenses - If you still have an unexpired NHS-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that will be acceptable medical cover but that card is not renewable. Instead you must apply in the UK for an NHS-issued GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) which will be recognised in the EU for emergency only medical treatment. Consider getting private medical cover in addition . Apply for your GHIC valid 5 years: https://www.ghic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do
Repatriation Insurance
Proof of insurance cover for medical repatriation and repatriation in the event of death. This is a separate requirement from medical insurance cover but you may opt to buy this as part of a travel insurance package. This insurance may be available as a bolt-on when booking your channel crossing (with companies such as Aferry.com who sell discount ferry and Eurotunnel tickets)
It is important to realise that the validity of your travel insurance is dependent on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's guidelines on whether travel is advised or not to your destination country and the Amber, Green or Red status of a country is irrelevant for insurance purposes. For France there are no warnings currently in place but you can check here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france
Proof of insurance cover for medical repatriation and repatriation in the event of death. This is a separate requirement from medical insurance cover but you may opt to buy this as part of a travel insurance package. This insurance may be available as a bolt-on when booking your channel crossing (with companies such as Aferry.com who sell discount ferry and Eurotunnel tickets)
It is important to realise that the validity of your travel insurance is dependent on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's guidelines on whether travel is advised or not to your destination country and the Amber, Green or Red status of a country is irrelevant for insurance purposes. For France there are no warnings currently in place but you can check here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france
British Passports
Starting from the beginning of 2021 in order to enforce the maximum 90 out of 180 day rule, all British passports will now be stamped on entry into and departing from the EU. The 90 days allowance relates to travel to all Schengen countries put together over the preceding 180 days excluding trips to Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania which have 90 days allowance each. To stay longer in France you need to apply for a 4 - 6 months Temporary Long Stay Visa before you travel to France. The visa could be applied for with a start date commencing after a 90 day stay giving a maximum of a 9 month stay. Further details here
You must now have a minimum of 3 months passport validity remaining counting from your expected return date (some other countries require 6 months). Note that some British passports may have a little more than 10 years validity between the date of issue and the date of expiry but the French immigration authorities consider the passport is valid for exactly 10 years and no more.
The UK National Audit Office predicts that the need to stamp each British passport may cause delays of up to 2 hours are possible at ports & airports so allow plenty of extra travel time as needless to say British passport holders don't get to use the EU fast track Passport and Immigration lanes any more. Please check your ferry or tunnel ticket for their (revised) check-in times
Note that if you are travelling with a non-British passport holder that person will need a full passport to re-enter the UK as, with some exceptions, national ID cards are no longer recognised by Border Force
To renew your British passport (cost £88.50) allow up to 10 weeks for your application although the process may be considerably shorter
https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport/renew
Starting from the beginning of 2021 in order to enforce the maximum 90 out of 180 day rule, all British passports will now be stamped on entry into and departing from the EU. The 90 days allowance relates to travel to all Schengen countries put together over the preceding 180 days excluding trips to Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania which have 90 days allowance each. To stay longer in France you need to apply for a 4 - 6 months Temporary Long Stay Visa before you travel to France. The visa could be applied for with a start date commencing after a 90 day stay giving a maximum of a 9 month stay. Further details here
You must now have a minimum of 3 months passport validity remaining counting from your expected return date (some other countries require 6 months). Note that some British passports may have a little more than 10 years validity between the date of issue and the date of expiry but the French immigration authorities consider the passport is valid for exactly 10 years and no more.
The UK National Audit Office predicts that the need to stamp each British passport may cause delays of up to 2 hours are possible at ports & airports so allow plenty of extra travel time as needless to say British passport holders don't get to use the EU fast track Passport and Immigration lanes any more. Please check your ferry or tunnel ticket for their (revised) check-in times
Note that if you are travelling with a non-British passport holder that person will need a full passport to re-enter the UK as, with some exceptions, national ID cards are no longer recognised by Border Force
To renew your British passport (cost £88.50) allow up to 10 weeks for your application although the process may be considerably shorter
https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport/renew
For information on the new ETIAS Visa-Waiver Scheme and Biometric Identification of British passport holders entering the Schengen Area from November 2024 and Spring 2025 please click here
UK driving licences
UK licences are acceptable for tourism in France and there is no need for an international driving permit as previously thought. This is not the case in all EU countries
https://www.gov.uk/apply-online-to-replace-a-driving-licence
UK licences are acceptable for tourism in France and there is no need for an international driving permit as previously thought. This is not the case in all EU countries
https://www.gov.uk/apply-online-to-replace-a-driving-licence
Car Insurance
The EU and UK have agreed proof of European car insurance cover, or green card, is NOT now a requirement but do carry your UK car insurance policy as proof you're insured
UK sticker for your car
https://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates/flags-symbols-and-identifiers
You will need to peel off your old GB country identifier sticker on the rear of your car and replace it with or add a 'UK' country sticker (permanent or a magnetic one) . Plates with the letters GB, a Euro symbol, English, Welsh or Scottish flag are NOT acceptable, all vehicles will need the new 'UK' sticker which to comply must have black letters on a white, elliptical background. The letters must be at least 8 cm high with a stroke width of 1 cm according to the AA
Car (other requirements)
As before, you must also carry inside the car one high-viz jacket per occupant as well as a warning triangle (can be in the boot), your driving licences, car insurance and car registration document. For a hire car bring the VE103 certificate. You must fit headlight beam deflectors on UK cars. All vehicles, including motorbikes, driving in central Paris, Lyon and Grenoble and some other cities now need to display a special ‘pollution sticker’ see www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/safety-and-security#road-travel
Breakdown insurance is optional but possibly desirable. When booking Le Shuttle this is an optional extra just before you pay
The EU and UK have agreed proof of European car insurance cover, or green card, is NOT now a requirement but do carry your UK car insurance policy as proof you're insured
UK sticker for your car
https://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates/flags-symbols-and-identifiers
You will need to peel off your old GB country identifier sticker on the rear of your car and replace it with or add a 'UK' country sticker (permanent or a magnetic one) . Plates with the letters GB, a Euro symbol, English, Welsh or Scottish flag are NOT acceptable, all vehicles will need the new 'UK' sticker which to comply must have black letters on a white, elliptical background. The letters must be at least 8 cm high with a stroke width of 1 cm according to the AA
Car (other requirements)
As before, you must also carry inside the car one high-viz jacket per occupant as well as a warning triangle (can be in the boot), your driving licences, car insurance and car registration document. For a hire car bring the VE103 certificate. You must fit headlight beam deflectors on UK cars. All vehicles, including motorbikes, driving in central Paris, Lyon and Grenoble and some other cities now need to display a special ‘pollution sticker’ see www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/safety-and-security#road-travel
Breakdown insurance is optional but possibly desirable. When booking Le Shuttle this is an optional extra just before you pay
These are some of the supporting documents you may now be required to present at Passport and Immigration control to enter France to avoid being turned away, delayed or fined at the border:
If you are invited to stay in a private home
https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2191?lang=en
The French Ministry for the Interior has confirmed that British citizens travelling to France to stay in a private home are not required to show an Attestation d'Accueil (a host declaration) but you should have a written invitation from your host as proof of lodging. You will also need to show you have 120 euros per person per day financial means of support.
If you are travelling with the holder of a non-British non-EU passport issued by a country where a Schengen visa is required then they WILL need an Attestation d'Accueil. The French government website says that your host has to apply ahead of time at their local town hall and the permit costs 30 EUR per person. Your host will need to show for each guest proof of your address in the form of a rental agreement or property deed, a copy of passport/ID, a utility bill, proof of sufficient financial resources (bank statement) and then sign a statement that their house has sufficient capacity to accommodate you
- Proof of accommodation - Hotel booking confirmation covering the duration of your stay or proof of sufficient financial means (see next point). In France since 2014 hotel bookings have not been a legal requirement to enter the Schengen zone. If you have a home in France a utility bill less than 3 months old should suffice
- Proof of sufficient financial means - Presentation of credit or pre-paid cards, traveller's cheques (!), recent bank statement or cashpoint balance printout or maybe a banking app. You need per person 65 EUR per day with a hotel booking or 120 EUR per person per day without hotel booking or 32,50 EUR/person/day if staying in private accommodation
- Proof you will return home - A return ticket or proof you have the means to buy one
If you are invited to stay in a private home
https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2191?lang=en
The French Ministry for the Interior has confirmed that British citizens travelling to France to stay in a private home are not required to show an Attestation d'Accueil (a host declaration) but you should have a written invitation from your host as proof of lodging. You will also need to show you have 120 euros per person per day financial means of support.
If you are travelling with the holder of a non-British non-EU passport issued by a country where a Schengen visa is required then they WILL need an Attestation d'Accueil. The French government website says that your host has to apply ahead of time at their local town hall and the permit costs 30 EUR per person. Your host will need to show for each guest proof of your address in the form of a rental agreement or property deed, a copy of passport/ID, a utility bill, proof of sufficient financial resources (bank statement) and then sign a statement that their house has sufficient capacity to accommodate you
Food: Remember
You can no longer bring any meat, dairy, plants, flowers, seeds, fruit, vegetables, animal or vegetable products into the EU.
Weirdly this includes Bovril, but bananas, coconut, dates and pineapple are OK as are powdered baby milk, milk chocolate, porridge oats, teabags, loose tea and roasted coffee, biscuits and baked beans (I'm not making this up). A recipe for scurvy and I have no idea what kind of picnic lunch you can legally pack. But cheese or ham sandwiches or even falafel wraps in your car may be confiscated. So just a mars bar and a banana then! Good news though, you can enter the EU with 20 kilos of fresh/dried fish, 2 kilos of honey and 2 kilos of oysters so that's OK then.
With dairy you can bring in processed foods, such as milk chocolate, which contain some dairy food as part of the recipe and with plants dried, processed plants, such as, for example, kitchen herbs, would be acceptable.
See: https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/animalproducts/personal_imports_en
Returning to the UK, however, you can bring back from France meat (no more than 2kg pork), dairy, fish and other animal products such as eggs and honey for personal use as well as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds without the need for a phytosanitary health certificate. This is because the UK government is not currently enforcing phytosanitary controls at the border. https://www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain/meat-dairy-fish-animal-products
Mobile phone roaming
Check to see if your mobile phone operator will charge you roaming fees in the EU as UK operators are no longer bound by the EU roaming charge ban and some operators have already brought back charges. For some the charge may only become operational if you amend your mobile phone contract. Calls, texts and internet connections could be very costly and you may need to turn off your roaming function.
A new law means that you’re protected from getting mobile data charges above £45 without you knowing.
Once you reach £45, you need to opt in to spend more so that you can continue using the internet while you’re abroad. Your phone operator will tell how you can do this.
Duty Free
https://dover-port.worlddutyfree.com/en/duty-free-allowances-have-increased
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/duty-free-extended-to-the-eu-from-january-2021
When entering France you now only get a single litre per adult of spirits allowance or 16 litres beer going into the EU and may only take in personal goods or gifts worth up to 300 EUR if travelling by car or train or 430 EUR if travelling by boat or plane. Cash must be under 10,000 EUR or currency equivalent.
But on your return journey EACH ADULT can take back to the UK:
· 4 litres spirits OR 9 litres sparkling wine not both. You can e.g. halve each allowance though
· In addition you can take back 18 litres still wine AND also 42 litres beer for each adult.
· Be aware that you can now only take 430 euros / £390 worth of goods, including food and drink, back into the UK without paying VAT and customs duty.
4 litres = 5 standard 75 cl bottles and a 250 ml hipflask OR
9 litres sparkling/fortified wine= 12 standard 75 cl bottles (OR half and half)
18 litres of still wine = 24 x 75 cl bottles AND
42 litres beer = 127 x 33 cl bottles OR 168 x 25 cl bottles
Travelling with pets
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/travelling-pets
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-vet/general-practice/services/animal-health-certificate
If you have an EU pet passport issued in Great Britain, it will no longer be valid for travel from the UK to the EU: these have been replaced by the animal health certificate (AHC) costing anything up to £250 per animal for a departure within a maximum of 10 days from the date of issue. The AHC is valid for stays a maximum of 4 months and for a single return trip only to the Schengen zone. As before your pet must be vaccinated against rabies and microchipped. Allow a minimum of 1 month lead-in time
If you are planning to stay 3 months in France AND your pet previously had a UK/EU pet passport issued before 1 January 2021 you can apply for a French pet passport after having the animal registered on the French pet database
Business Travel
https://www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein/business-travel-extra-requirements
You may need a temporary work permit or a long-stay visa and your qualifications may no longer be recognised
You can no longer bring any meat, dairy, plants, flowers, seeds, fruit, vegetables, animal or vegetable products into the EU.
Weirdly this includes Bovril, but bananas, coconut, dates and pineapple are OK as are powdered baby milk, milk chocolate, porridge oats, teabags, loose tea and roasted coffee, biscuits and baked beans (I'm not making this up). A recipe for scurvy and I have no idea what kind of picnic lunch you can legally pack. But cheese or ham sandwiches or even falafel wraps in your car may be confiscated. So just a mars bar and a banana then! Good news though, you can enter the EU with 20 kilos of fresh/dried fish, 2 kilos of honey and 2 kilos of oysters so that's OK then.
With dairy you can bring in processed foods, such as milk chocolate, which contain some dairy food as part of the recipe and with plants dried, processed plants, such as, for example, kitchen herbs, would be acceptable.
See: https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/animalproducts/personal_imports_en
Returning to the UK, however, you can bring back from France meat (no more than 2kg pork), dairy, fish and other animal products such as eggs and honey for personal use as well as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds without the need for a phytosanitary health certificate. This is because the UK government is not currently enforcing phytosanitary controls at the border. https://www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain/meat-dairy-fish-animal-products
Mobile phone roaming
Check to see if your mobile phone operator will charge you roaming fees in the EU as UK operators are no longer bound by the EU roaming charge ban and some operators have already brought back charges. For some the charge may only become operational if you amend your mobile phone contract. Calls, texts and internet connections could be very costly and you may need to turn off your roaming function.
A new law means that you’re protected from getting mobile data charges above £45 without you knowing.
Once you reach £45, you need to opt in to spend more so that you can continue using the internet while you’re abroad. Your phone operator will tell how you can do this.
Duty Free
https://dover-port.worlddutyfree.com/en/duty-free-allowances-have-increased
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/duty-free-extended-to-the-eu-from-january-2021
When entering France you now only get a single litre per adult of spirits allowance or 16 litres beer going into the EU and may only take in personal goods or gifts worth up to 300 EUR if travelling by car or train or 430 EUR if travelling by boat or plane. Cash must be under 10,000 EUR or currency equivalent.
But on your return journey EACH ADULT can take back to the UK:
· 4 litres spirits OR 9 litres sparkling wine not both. You can e.g. halve each allowance though
· In addition you can take back 18 litres still wine AND also 42 litres beer for each adult.
· Be aware that you can now only take 430 euros / £390 worth of goods, including food and drink, back into the UK without paying VAT and customs duty.
4 litres = 5 standard 75 cl bottles and a 250 ml hipflask OR
9 litres sparkling/fortified wine= 12 standard 75 cl bottles (OR half and half)
18 litres of still wine = 24 x 75 cl bottles AND
42 litres beer = 127 x 33 cl bottles OR 168 x 25 cl bottles
Travelling with pets
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/travelling-pets
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-vet/general-practice/services/animal-health-certificate
If you have an EU pet passport issued in Great Britain, it will no longer be valid for travel from the UK to the EU: these have been replaced by the animal health certificate (AHC) costing anything up to £250 per animal for a departure within a maximum of 10 days from the date of issue. The AHC is valid for stays a maximum of 4 months and for a single return trip only to the Schengen zone. As before your pet must be vaccinated against rabies and microchipped. Allow a minimum of 1 month lead-in time
If you are planning to stay 3 months in France AND your pet previously had a UK/EU pet passport issued before 1 January 2021 you can apply for a French pet passport after having the animal registered on the French pet database
Business Travel
https://www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein/business-travel-extra-requirements
You may need a temporary work permit or a long-stay visa and your qualifications may no longer be recognised
Travel Rules to enter France from England
I'm not saying that British citizens and UK residents will definitely be checked for compliance with all the above requirements but the rules that now apply may well be fully enforced and visitors should definitely prepare for that eventuality. Early anecdotal evidence would indicate that checks are not generally extensive but stricter than in previous years
I'd welcome updates or corrections to this information as well as any personal experiences and will edit this page as I get new information. I'd also welcome any tips about medical and repatriation insurance deals to pass on to other guests
Good luck!
MC
I'd welcome updates or corrections to this information as well as any personal experiences and will edit this page as I get new information. I'd also welcome any tips about medical and repatriation insurance deals to pass on to other guests
Good luck!
MC
