First came the Brexit trade deal. Now comes the red tape and the nitty gritty. Shortly after finally sealing a free trade agreement with the European Union, the British government warned businesses to get ready for disruptions and “bumpy moments” when the new rules take effect tonight.
So far, the majority of British and EU citizens haven’t felt the realities of Brexit, the British exit from the European Union. But there will be plenty of changes for travelers between the British Isles and the continent to get used to. And British firms are scrambling to digest the details of the 1,240-page deal signed by the EU and the United Kingdom on Christmas Eve, just a week before the year-end deadline.
Now after nearly five decades of close economic, cultural, and social ties, Britain embarks on a new, more distant relationship with the EU.
Here are some of the changes that our friends across the pond will start to feel almost overnight.
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT
The end of freedom of movement will represent the most noticeable Brexit consequence.
Under the deal, roughly one million British citizens who are legal residents in the EU will have about the same rights as they have now. That also applies to more than three million EU citizens living in the United Kingdom.
However, British citizens will no longer have the automatic right to live and work in the EU and vice versa. People who want to cross the border to settle will have to follow immigration rules and face other bureaucratic restrictions.
For many in the EU, the freedom to be able to travel, study, and live anywhere in the 27-nation EU bloc is among the most appealing aspects of the union.
TRAVEL LENGTH AND INSURANCE
Travelling for holidays will remain visa-free, but British nationals will be allowed to spend only 90 days out of every 180 in the EU states. The United Kingdom will allow European citizens to stay for up to six consecutive months.
British travelers in Europe will also have to buy their own travel insurance. British citizens will no longer be issued the European Health Insurance Card for access to medical care in EU countries. UK officials are already setting up a replacement system so that everyone still has medical coverage.
PETS
Britain will no longer be part of the EU’s pet passport arrangement. (See Brexit Pets.) UK pet owners will need to have their animals microchipped and vaccinated at least 21 days before travel and will need an Animal Health Certificate from a vet before departure.
DRIVING PERMITS
The new deal means British drivers won’t need an international driving permit once they cross the Channel. British motorists can travel in the EU on their UK licenses and insurance, as long as they carry proof that they are insured.
WORK
The end of freedom of movement will have a major impact on hiring. Larger businesses will find it more difficult and costly to hire people from the EU. The deal does include provisions to allow contractors and business travelers to make short-term work trips without visas.
FISHING
The deal has angered one sector that the UK government vowed to protect: members of the fishing industry. The issue of fishing rights was a sticking point in negotiations, with maritime EU nations seeking to retain access to UK waters, and Britain insisting it must control its seas.
Under the deal, the EU will give up a quarter of the quota it catches in UK waters, far less than the 80% Britain initially demanded.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government argues that any short-term disruption from Brexit will be worth it, because the UK will now be free to set its own rules and strike new trade deals around the world.
Despite the deal, doubt hangs over parts of the relationship between Great Britain and the EU, including the banking sector and Spanish work permits in the British territory of Gibraltar. As Jill Rutter of the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank says, “This is not a final done deal in many respects.”
(Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at Downing Street in London, backdropped by British Union flags. Paul Grover/Pool Photo via AP)
