Elisa Menendez
BRITS will not need a visa when travelling to EU countries in the event of a no-deal Brexit, it has been announced.
British expats will still be able to move between Spain and the UK without paying for a holiday visa.
Officials had previously discussed the option of making the UK a ‘third country’, requiring travellers to pay €60 for a visa to cross the channel or for an entry permit.
But European Commission vice president, Frans Trimmermans, announced yesterday that the visa plan will be waived, providing the UK gives EU citizens the same rights.
The announcement came as Brussels reveals its preparation plans ahead of a potential no-deal Brexit.
“On visas we propose to amend the visa regulation to allow UK nationals to be exempt from any visa requirement for short stays in the EU once EU law stops applying to the UK,” said Trimmermans at a press conference in Strasbourg.
“But of course an important point: this is entirely conditional on the UK also doing the same thing for EU nationals, reciprocating.”
A European Commission document states the rules would apply to Brits travelling to Schengen Area countries, which includes all western European EU members states and eastern ones including Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
It would apply to trips of up to 90 days within any 180-day period, starting from March 30 2019 in the event of a no-deal Brexit and from the end of any transition period if a deal is achieved.
