Travel documents for UK nationals and their family members residing in an EU country

Travel to my EU country of residence

You will need a passport and a residence document issued by your EU country of residence. The same rules apply to your non-EU family members who are covered by the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement.

Important information on residence documents issued under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement

In some EU countries, UK nationals were required to apply for a new residence status and were issued with a new Withdrawal Agreement residence document in the form of a biometric residence card (you can find a sample here). You must carry this document with you when travelling or if you don't have this card yet, you must carry a certificate of application. We strongly recommend that you and your family members apply for the new biometric residence card, even if you reside in an EU country where you did not have to apply for a new residence status. As well as facilitating travel, this biometric residence card will exempt holders from the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information Authorisation System (ETIAS) when they become operational.

Travel to another Schengen area country

UK national Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries travelling from their Schengen country of residence to another Schengen area country fall under the "visa free short stay rule" meaning they can travel visa free for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. In addition, in line with Schengen rules, any non-EU national legally resident in a Schengen area country, whether subject to a visa obligation or not, must have a residence document and a valid travel document for travel to another Schengen area country for a short stay. You will therefore need a residence document issued by your EU country of residence, as well as your passport when you travel to another Schengen area country.

Non-EU Family members travelling to another EU or Schengen area country

When travelling to the following EU and Schengen area countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, the residence document issued to your family members by one of these countries will allow them to benefit from a visa exemption for short stays, i.e. up to 90 days in any 180 day period.

The residence document issued to your non-EU family member by one of the above EU and Schengen area countries will also allow them to benefit from a visa exemption when travelling to Cyprus for short stays.

However, if your EU country of residence is Cyprus, the residence document issued to your family members does not exempt them from a visa for travel to the Schengen area countries.

Passport stamping

Depending on national law, border guards may stamp your passport when entering and exiting your country of residence. This practice does not serve any real purpose as the 90-day stay limitation does not apply to beneficiaries of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement (including their family members) when travelling to their EU country of residence. However, to prove your residence status and associated rights (i.e. the non-applicability of the 90-day stay limitation in a 180-day period), we advise you to show your national residence documents issued (under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement) in your EU country of residence when crossing an external Schengen border. Read more about the Rules for UK nationals when entering or leaving the Schengen area.

When travelling to the Schengen area for short stays, you are not required to have a short-stay visa (Schengen visa) when crossing the external borders, if your intended stay is up to a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. However, border guards will stamp your passport on entry to and exit from the Schengen area to ensure you respect this 90-day limitation.

When the Entry/Exit System (EES) is operational, border guards will record your identity and travel document data, as well as your biometic data in the EES. The EES will also record your entry and exit dates at the external borders of the Schengen area, and automatically calculate the length of your stay. Likewise when the European Travel information Authorisation System (ETIAS) is in use, you will be required to have a valid ETIAS travel authorisation for short stays in the EU countries that require one.

If you are planning to carry out a paid activity during your stay in the Schengen area, you may have to apply for a short-stay visa. Please check with the relevant consular authorities in the country you are travelling to for more information.

Your non-EU family members may need a visa, depending on their nationality. Read more about travelling in the EU with your non-EU family members, and how to apply for a visa if they need one.