UK launches adverts to alert holidaymakers of post-Brexit changes

Updated
Holidaymakers will be given guidance on travel insurance and taking their pets abroad. (PA)
Holidaymakers will be given guidance on travel insurance and taking their pets abroad. Photo: UK Cabinet Office via PA

The UK government on Monday launched an advertising campaign to alert holidaymakers of post-Brexit changes, including in relation to travel insurance and taking pets abroad.

The “UK’s new start: Let’s get going” adverts will appear on TV, radio and on the internet, while UK residents will also be sent information via text message.

On 31 December, the UK will leave the European Union’s single market and customs union, meaning that UK citizens will no longer be unconditionally admitted to countries in the bloc upon the production of valid identification documents.

While the exact status of UK travellers in the EU after the end of the transition period has yet to be determined, the government insists that the advice is expected to apply regardless of the nature of the deal that is brokered with the EU.

READ MORE: Stocks rise as earnings season begins

As part of the government campaign, UK citizens planning to travel to Europe after 1 January may be told to make sure that their passport is valid for at least six months, to get comprehensive travel insurance, and to examine their mobile phone roaming policy.

UK citizens will need a visa to spend more than 90 days in the EU during any 180 period, and will no longer be guaranteed no roaming charges in the bloc.

There will also be advice for UK citizens in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK, in addition to UK and EU businesses.

“At the end of this year we are leaving the single market and customs union regardless of the type of agreement we reach with the EU. This will bring changes and significant opportunities for which we all need to prepare,” said Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove.

“While we have already made great progress in getting ready for this moment, there are actions that businesses and citizens must take now to ensure we are ready to hit the ground running as a fully independent United Kingdom,” he said.

“This is a new start for everyone in the UK — British and European citizens alike — so let’s get going.”

READ MORE: UK government to spend £4.5m on ‘shock and awe’ Brexit ad campaign

Last month, it emerged that the UK government had signed a £4.5m ($5.6m) deal for a public information campaign to use “shock and awe” tactics to prepare citizens and firms for the end of the Brexit transition period.

The campaign, devised by media agency MullenLowe London, is set to warn about “the consequences of not taking action” ahead of 31 December.

During July and August, the campaign aims to “inform” about the consequences and “nudge” residents into taking action now.

But from September, the campaign will move into what a tender document called the “shock and awe” phase, using terminology typically used in military settings to describe overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force on the battlefield.

Advertisement