What does the notice say?
In the event of a no deal British passport holders will be considered to be third country nationals and subject to minimum passport validity periods. Under Schengen rules passports held by citizens of third countries must:
1. Have been issued within the last 10 years of the date of arrival in a Schengen country
2. Have at least 6 months validity remaining on the date of entry into a Schengen country
What does this mean for me and my business?
If you plan to travel to a Schengen country after 29 March 2019 either for business or pleasure purposes you should check that your passport is no older than 9 years and 6 months on the day of travel and date of entry into a Schengen country. Failure to do so could mean that you are denied entry into a Schengen country.
If you are planning to travel to a Schengen country after 29 March 2019 and you do not meet the minimum passport validity periods required for entry you should consider renewing your passport in plenty of time before the intended date of travel. The passport issuing service generally gets busier in the spring with longer processing times.
What is the NFU doing?
The NFU will continue to work for a Brexit that will have the least impact on UK farming. We are pressing Government to maintain a level playing field with the EU so that trade between the UK and member states is not inhibited by excessive regulation and that UK passport holders can continue to visit EU states to conduct business easily as now.
Where can I find out more?
The government’s technical notice on travelling to the EU with a UK passport in the event of no Brexit deal is available here.
Information on how to renew a UK passport is available here.
Countries which are members of the Schengen area are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Information on Schengen area countries and entry requirements is available here.