Brexit: Duty-free shopping, and other things that will change for UK, EU citizens from January 1
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that the negotiations are still going on but there is no guarantee that the two parties will be able to secure a deal before the end of the transition period.
The European Union on Thursday published contingency plans to prepare for a possible “no deal” scenario as several issues remain unresolved after several rounds of Brexit trade talks. The UK left the EU on January 31, 2020, after agreeing on an 11-month transition period, ending December 31, 2020. Both parties have been using this period to negotiate the terms of their future partnership.
Due to significant uncertainty over a deal before January 1, the European Commission has put forward a set of contingency measures to ensure smooth road and air travel between the UK and the member countries of the EU. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that the negotiations are still going on but there is no guarantee that the two parties will be able to secure a deal before the end of the transition period.
“Our responsibility is to be prepared for all eventualities, including not having a deal in place with the UK on 1 January 2021. That is why we are coming forward with these measures today,” von der Leyen said in a statement.
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Here are a few things that will change for UK and EU citizens from January 1:
New Immigration system: EU citizens will be treated on par with non-EU citizens and they will have to apply and pay for a visa to move to the UK to work, live or study. Under the new visa system, points will be assigned for specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions. A minimum of 70 points is required to be eligible to apply, of which some are tradeable.
Separate queue at borders: British nationals will have to use separate lanes at border control from those of EU, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss citizens. They will be required to show a return ticket as well as prove that they have enough money to stay in the visiting countries.
More paperwork: Free movement of people between the UK and the 27-member bloc will cease to exist from January 1, but British nationals already living in any EU country will have certain protections under the Withdrawal Agreement. However, they may have to apply for residency or meet specific requirements, as per the rules of the specific country. UK citizens moving to the EU in 2021 should check the rules for each country.
Return of duty-free shopping: When the UK was an EU member, British nationals were allowed to bring an unlimited amount of duty-free alcohol and tobacco from EU countries for personal use as long as the duty had been paid in the country where they made the purchase. British passengers will now be able to buy duty-free alcohol and tobacco products, wherever available. The amount that passengers can bring back with them, although limited, will also significantly increase.