Driving in Europe: Two changes Brits NEED to know
MOTORISTS travelling to and from the UK from mainland Europe will face significant changes this week due to post-Brexit regulations. Here's all you need to know ahead of the changes.
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Brexit has brought in many changes to the way Brits move about Europe. Although the Transport Secretary insists driving around the EU will continue to be easy, this week motorists will be required to make certain changes when driving through EU countries.
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps previously assured travellers that after Brexit “those who want to drive in the EU can continue to do so with ease.”
But new regulations will be required by the EU for Brits driving abroad.
What are the new regulations?
One change is motorists will now be required to “cover or remove” the GB sticker stuck on the back of their cars when travelling in EU countries.
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Instead, British drivers will need a UK “signifier” on their number plates or to display a UK sticker.
The Government said: “You will need to display a UK sticker clearly on the rear of your vehicle if your number plate has any of the following: a GB identifier with the Union flag; a Euro symbol; a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales; numbers and letters only - no flag or identifier.”
“If you have a GB sticker, cover or remove it before driving outside the UK.”
A UK sticker is now compulsory in Spain, Cyprus and Malta even if your number plates include a UK signifier.
But Brits won’t need to display a UK sticker when travelling in Ireland.
A second significant change will come into force on October 1.
From this date, EU citizens will no longer have the right to use their national identity cards to travel to the UK.
Instead, they must present a valid passport on arrival.
Why have the rules changed?
Ministers applied for the stickers to be changed in June.
They applied to the United Nations for the change under the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “Changing the national identifier from GB to UK symbolises our unity as a nation and is part of a wider move towards using the UK signifier across government.”
The right to use national identity cards by EU citizens to enter the UK has been scrapped, over security fears.
Priti Patel set out her “New Plan for Immigration” in a speech in May 2021.
She said: “This year, we will end the use of insecure ID cards for people to enter our country.”