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How does Brexit affect me as a high-net-worth individual?

Written by Georgia Green | January 28, 2021

If you have homes and estates worldwide and travel abroad regularly for pleasure and/or business, you may have had concerns around how Brexit would impact your lifestyle going forward. However, the deal struck between the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the European Union mean that COVID-19 is now more likely to disrupt your plans and lifestyle opposed to Brexit.

Despite this, there are still important implications to be aware of regarding rules that now apply to travel and doing business in Europe. In line with Government guidance, we have outlined these below:

Visiting Europe

You can now only visit most EU countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Slightly different rules apply to Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania and if you visit these countries, visits to other EU countries will not count towards the 90-day total.

For trips longer than 90 days, extra documentation may be necessary depending on what you are doing and to which country you are visiting. You will need to check this with the embassy of the country you are visiting to find out what type of documents you require, if any.

There is however an exception when travelling to Ireland where you can continue travelling there as normal. No extra documents will be required when travelling there, this includes for work purposes.

Furthermore, before you travel to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, you will now need to consider the following:

Check your passport:

On the day you travel, your passport must have at least 6 months left and be less than 10 years old (even if it has 6 months or more left).

You can continue to use your European Union passport until 6 months before its expiry, you will then need to request a UK passport.

Check you are covered for healthcare:

Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) will remain valid when travelling to the EU until they expire.

When travelling to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you will now need appropriate travel insurance with healthcare cover. If you have any pre-existing health conditions that were previously covered by your EHIC, you will need to ensure that your travel insurance covers this.

Check mobile roaming costs:

Many phone operators previously offered free mobile roaming throughout the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. However, this has now ended so please check with your phone operator to find out about any roaming charges that might now apply prior to travelling.

Driving:

If you are driving in Europe, you will require a green card. Please get in touch with your Account Executive to request a green card and they will issue this for you.

You may also need an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive in some EU countries and Norway if you have a paper driving licence or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. You can check this with the embassy of the country you will be driving in before travelling.

Travelling with pets:

If you are travelling with a pet, you must contact your vet at least 1 month before you travel to get the appropriate vaccinations. The existing pet passport scheme is no longer valid and instead, you will need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC).

Stricter border checks:

When approaching border control, you may be required to:

  • Show a return or onward ticket.
  • Show you have enough money for your stay.
  • Use separate lanes from EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens when queueing.

Business travel: extra requirements

In addition to the above,  if you are travelling to the EU for business you may need a visa, work permit or other documentation if you are planning to stay for longer than 90 days in a 180-day period or if you will be doing any of the following:

  • Transferring from the UK branch of your company to a different branch in a different company (intra-corporate transfer), even for a short period of time.
  • Carrying out contracts to provide a service to a client in another county in which your employer has no presence.
  • Providing services in another country as a self-employed person.

There are also implications regarding the recognition of professional qualifications and earning money in the EU. You can use the Gov.uk website to check the entry requirements and rules of the country you are visiting to find out if you need a visa or work permit.

How we can help

As a high-net-worth individual, you require specialist insurance policies to protect your valuable assets as standard insurance policies do not provide the level of cover you require. Our team of personal insurance experts work with clients from entrepreneurs, company directors through to family offices and we champion a concierge led service.

Please visit our Private Clients page for more information as to how we may assist you.

To discuss this article further, please get in touch with our team using the options below.