Non-essential British travellers could be barred from entering the EU from the beginning of 2021 under Covid travel rules put in place earlier this year.
While Britain technically left the European Union on Jan 31st 2020, we’re still in the transition period where we’re bound by EU rules. This means that the coronavirus travel restrictions that the EU enacted in March haven’t applied to British travellers visiting the continent.
The EU currently allows travellers from a limited list of countries to enter without restriction, including Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, but there is no indication they would add the UK to this list from January 1st.
18 countries in the EU currently have a higher coronavirus infection rate than the UK, but all EU countries would have to authorise British travel on a country by country basis.
Norway has already said it will stop non-resident British citizens entering the country from January, despite signing a trade deal with the UK earlier this week.
Under these new rules, the only travellers that will be allowed to enter the EU will be: Brits that are resident in Europe, European citizens that live in the UK, diplomats, certain essential workers and those with immediate family needs.
