The Brexit deadline has been postponed and we won't start feeling the effects of Brexit in too many ways until after the exit date, which will be either 22nd May 2019 or some time before 31st October 2019. Although there’s a buffer implementation period until 31st December 2020, from that point, things will start changing very fast. When Brexit finally happens, we’re bound to start feeling the effects in lots of ways, but what will happen with your holidays in Europe after Brexit?
Exchange rates
We still have very few concrete facts about Brexit and no one knows exactly what will happen in the future, many people are predicting that the value of the Pound will fall drastically against the Euro. This would mean that you will get a worse exchange rate, making holidaying abroad in Europe more expensive. On the other hand, the currency markets could just as easily go the other way and we could see an upswing in exchange rates with the Pound becoming stronger against the Euro. Whatever the case, the disparity isn’t likely to last long and the Pound to Euro exchange rate between Europe and the UK is expected to stabilise after a few months.
Visas
For now, British holidaymakers will not need travel visas to visit Spain. However, this could all change from 2021, and people travelling to European countries from Britain will have to fill out an online form and pay 7 euro to get a visa waiver.
What’s more, moving to Spain to live and work in the country could require more paperwork and preparation if visas are needed beginning in 2021, although it shouldn’t be any more complicated than what thousands of non-European citizens already have to do when they go to a different country. It may even be that each country in Europe decides to make their own deals with the British government to allow the free movement of workers and expats across national borders.
For now, just make sure you've got at least 6 months left on your passport before travelling, as this may become a requirement if Britain leaves the EU without a deal.
In the airport after Brexit
One clear consequence of Brexit on British travellers in Europe is that we will no longer be able to use the ‘EU passports’ queue at the airport. You know those two lines they have when you go through airport security and you always feel superior about being able to go through the fast-track lane for European citizens while the rest of the world is stuck in a big, long queue? Well that’s not going to happen anymore. Security control restrictions when travelling in and out of Europe will become stricter and more time-consuming.
Flight prices
Will flights be more expensive after Brexit? It’s highly likely because airlines will have more expenses and taxes to pay when putting on flights from the UK to Europe and to cover those costs they will most likely pass them along to the consumer. On the other hand, it is possible that if fewer people decide to fly abroad to Europe for their holidays, airline companies will give more and better deals to compensate and the cost of flights could actually get cheaper.
Duty free
When the UK joined the EU back in 1973, we lost the right to buy duty free goods from Europe but we gained the ability to import as much as we liked, resulting in the infamous Booze Cruises that many people took to go buy loads of cheap plonk in Calais. Now all that is set to change. The amount of alcohol and tobacco we’re allowed to take back to Britain without paying extra taxes will be limited: the cost-free limit will be 200 cigarettes, 16 litres of beer and 4 litres of wine. However, these products will be much cheaper than they are now, because they’ll be duty free and won’t have any tax to be paid on them.
Healthcare in Europe after Brexit
There is positive news for Brits going on vacation to EU countries after Brexit: the EHIC health card that gives you the right to free healthcare anywhere in Europe will still be valid after Brexit. If the unthinkable happens and you become ill while on holiday in Spain after Brexit, don’t worry because you can still get medical attention in a Spanish hospital.
Roaming charges
Another result of Brexit on your holidays could be that using your mobile phone will cost more money. Mobile service providers will no longer be restricted by European red tape and will be free to charge as much as they like, so using data-draining apps like Google Maps could come with exorbitant phone bills at the end of the month. However, many phone companies offer excellent package deals with an enormous amount of data allowance and free EU roaming thrown in, so if you have one of these tariffs you shouldn’t suffer the difference too much.
Nosy neighbours
So there you go – those are the most probable effects of Brexit on Spanish holidays. There’s no one who is an expert on Brexit, not even the politicians who are supposedly organising it, but we can be pretty sure that in terms of Duty Free purchases the UK will benefit, whilst in terms of healthcare provision, visa requirements and exchange rates there shouldn’t be too much difference.
Last but not least, one thing that is sure to change for Brits abroad in Europe after Brexit, as anyone who has been there after the referendum can attest, is that as soon as anyone finds out where you’re from, they’ll ask you endless questions about Brexit and your opinion. Even when you just want to sit back and enjoy the sunshine and beaches of southern Europe, you’ll never escape the clutches of Brexit.