COMPETING ABROAD – PREPARING FOR BREXIT – Update

The best source of up-to-date advice on the impact of Brexit on athletes travelling to compete outside the UK is the following government website: https://euexit.campaign.gov.uk/. Specific guidance for visiting Europe after Brexit can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-brexit and you can also sign-up for email alerts if information changes.

In summarising where we are at with Brexit.  The UK parliament has not approved the recently proposed agreement.  For this reason, the 27 remaining EU countries and the British government have decided to postpone Brexit until 31 October 2019 at the latest.  This date will be moved forward if the UK parliament approves an agreement earlier.

In a no deal scenario (i.e. we leave the EU on 31 October 2019 without any agreement) there could be some knock on issues that affect athletes competing abroad (and those travelling to support them) and some of these issues are outlined below.

Individuals travelling/competing aboard under no-deal:

Athletes travelling to EU countries, or travelling within EU countries, generally speaking will be covered under Schengen rules and thus athletes and staff shouldn’t have any issues travelling to/from/between Schengen countries even in a no-deal scenario – as long as they are only resident in that country for 90 out of 180 days.

• Visas – Where a UK national sportsperson is travelling to the EU to compete in an event, they should be able to do so without requiring a visa, as the European Commission has proposed visa free travel for short term visits by UK citizens in a no deal situation (as has the UK for EU citizens).
• Travel Delays – We don’t have any specific information on potential travel delays around the exit date itself, but we recommend that you allow more time for travel around these dates, and be prepared for additional delays.
• Border Patrol – You may have to show your return ticket and money.
• Passports – It is important to note the need to have 6 months left on passports and be less than 10 years old if travelling into the EU after 31 October in a no deal situation.  Passports take about 3 weeks to renew and you will not be able to travel while your passport is being renewed.
• Driving Licences – From 31 October, drivers from the UK may need a different international driving permit (IDP) to drive abroad.  If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, UK drivers will need an IDP for some countries, a GB sticker and a ‘green card’.

It is our recommendation that athletes planning to travel to Europe after 31st October prepare for a no deal Brexit scenario.