Documentation

Traveling to the UK

If you are traveling to the UK, see all the useful information and what changes with Brexit.

As of 23:00/11PM (UK Time) on December 31, 2020, free movement will no longer apply and EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will require authorization to enter the United Kingdom.

Consequently, EU/EEA and Swiss nationals travelling to the UK for work or for more than 6-months study, will need appropriate entry clearance. Those who were residents in the UK before the end of free movement are entitled to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

Entry clearance may appear as a vignette in a national passport, or it may be granted digitally. EUSS leave will be granted digitally.

For all other visits up to 6 months duration, no visa or entry clearance is required.

Furthermore, EU/EEA and Swiss national identity cards will remain valid for all passengers travelling to the UK until October 1, 2021. In regards to Irish Passport Cards and Identity Cards held by British Citizens from Gibraltar these will continue to be accepted indefinitely.

See below for further information on changes and document acceptability for travels to the United Kingdom.

All family members of EU/EEA or Swiss nationals will require entry clearance, or a UK issued family permit to join or accompany their EU/EEA/Swiss family member in the UK.

Visa-national family members will require a visa for all visits up to 6 months duration.

UK issued Family Permits, issued on Cat D vignettes, will continue to be issued and remain valid to 30 June 2021. In parallel, a new EUSS family permit has been introduced, issued on Category D vignette with the endorsement “EU SETTLEMENT SCHEME FAMILY PERMIT to join / to acc” + name of the EEA national.

All family members of UK nationals will require a visa (if a visa national) or Settlement entry clearance.

Family Members already settled in the UK will be issued with a UK biometric residence permit (BRP).

Where a family member has lost their biometric residence permit whilst outside the UK, or where they have left the UK whilst their EUSS application is still pending, they are required to apply for an EUSS travel permit.

The EUSS Travel permit is valid for 6 months multiple entry.

EU and Irish-issued Article 10/20 cards will no longer be acceptable as a visa exemption document.

UK-issued Article 10/20 cards will continue to be acceptable when presented alongside a valid travel document.

The UK will continue to accept the same EU/EEA and Swiss common format Category D visas and residence permits as exemption documents for the purpose of transiting the UK without a visa. This includes those issued for the Republic of Ireland.

Irish citizens 
Irish citizens can continue to travel and live in the UK as they do now and will not require leave to enter. 
Additionally, the Common Travel Area arrangements covering the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies will remain unchanged. 

Temporary & Emergency Travel Documents 
The acceptability of temporary and emergency passports remains unchanged. Where this is not a passport, a visa will be required unless the holder is in transit to the country in which they are ordinarily resident. For further information available here.

Uniform Format Forms (UFFs) 
From 23:00 (UK Time) on 31 December 2020, Uniform Format Forms (UFFs) will be replaced by the UK Form for Affixing a Visa (FAVs). UFFs can continue to be accepted for travel as long as the affixed vignette remains valid. 

EU Laissez Passer 
The UK will continue to accept the EU Laissez-Passer. 

List of Travellers 
The UK will continue to accept the ‘List of Travellers’ until 1 October 2021. 

Diplomats and Staff members of International organisations 
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who are diplomats or who are staff members of certain international organisations will continue to be exempt from immigration control. They may have an exempt vignette, may be travelling with an FCDO diplomatic identity card or a Note Verbale.

 

For more information, see also the following pages of the British Government: