Brexit refers to the withdrawal of the UK from the EU (European Union). The EU involves about 28 countries, and usually allows free trade between members without any extra checks or charges. Also, this union allows people to move without any limitations within these countries and even live anywhere they want. However, now that the UK has exited this union, things will be different.
The United Kingdom left the EU on January 31st, 2020, after signing an agreement. Since then, the UK entered a transition period of about 11 months. During this period, trade and travel activities will continue as before.
UK citizens have always enjoyed easy travelling between countries in the EU, but that is expected to change after the transition. These citizens won’t need a Schengen Visa like other nationalities when travelling to the Schengen area for a short period of about 90 to 180 days. So, during this time, UK citizens can travel without a visa.
However, UK citizens won’t be able to travel to the Schengen area with passports only. According to the EU commission, UK citizens must pay when visiting Europe, and also fill some ETIAS forms online before setting off.
ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is a new system that UK citizens and those of 60 other nationalities must register with to be allowed to visit Europe without a visa. So, you won’t need a visa after Brexit.
However, the implementation of this law is conditional. The European Parliament members said that the agreement is valid as long as EU citizens can also enter the UK visa-free.
Therefore, citizens from both the UK and the EU can travel in each other’s countries with a passport only.
Although you can now travel to the EU without a visa even after the Brexit, there are still some things that you must meet to get a passport. One thing is to make sure your passport photos are of great quality to help your application go through.
Your passport photo needs to have a width and height of 35mm x 45mm, respectively. Within your image, the area from the hair to the chin should be over 29mm, but not exceed 34mm high. If you having any problems getting your photo done correctly, you can always use a Passport photo maker to automatically adjust the sizes of your photos.
You also need to make sure you get your passport photos taken by a professional photographer. Doing that helps to ensure that you get quality pictures that will enable your passport application to be approved faster.
Therefore, you do not need a visa to travel to the European Union after the Brexit. However, this is only temporary as things might change after the transition period. Also, ensure you have quality passport photos when applying for your passport to help increase the chances of approval.
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Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
