Brexit: the indicative guide on travelling abroad – tips

Brexit: the indicative guide on travelling abroad – tips from travelinsuranceexplained.co.uk

With Parliament’s ‘indicative votes’ underway this week, it is now looking more likely that Brexit is going to drag on even longer. The majority of schools break for Easter holidays on 5 April, and Brexit indecision could cause major disruption to the Easter getaway.

How can you ensure that you have bought the right policy to cover you should there be travel issues due to Brexit – Fiona Macrae from travelinsuranceexplained.co.uk answers your questions.

I’ve assumed that if something happens on my holiday or before I travel, which isn’t my fault, including Brexit, then my travel insurance policy should cover that? Unfortunately not, in the main travel insurance policies will only cover you to claim for specific causes listed in the policy document and if the cause you are claiming for, such as Brexit, isn’t listed then you won’t be able to claim.

So how do I get a policy that will cover me for Brexit?

You need to look for a policy that will offer you cancellation and delayed travel cover for anything ‘which you could not have been expected to foresee or avoid’ or anything ‘beyond your reasonable control’.

I’m due to travel abroad for the Easter holiday on what could be the new suggested Brexit dates such as the 12^th of April, is there anything additional I need to look for on my travel insurance policy?

Yes, ensure that you have the cover for anything beyond your reasonable control, but also check that this covers you on both the outbound and return journey, not all travel insurance policy offer cover for delays to the return journeys.

What about the EHIC?

We still don’t know yet if you will be able to use the EHIC after Brexit. The government is seeking agreements with countries on healthcare arrangements for UK nationals after Brexit – however nothing is yet in place. To protect yourself, ensure that any travel insurance policy you buy doesn’t insist you use your EHIC card for emergency medical treatment. If the UK does leave Europe without these arrangements in place and you have purchased the wrong travel insurance policy, you could find yourself with a hefty medical bill.

What if I am denied entry to a European country because my passport hasn’t got enough time remaining on it? Not having the correct documents to enter a country, passports, visa etc., is not something that you can get cover for from any travel insurance policy. So check in plenty of time if your passport will be in date for your planned trip – you can check this on the passport service website https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/check-a-passport

However, you may need to be patient as the sheer volume of people checking their passports is causing the system to crash.