Will Visa be needed if 'No Deal' Brexit?? Everything you want to ask, read or write about Sfakia, southwest Crete, or Crete island in general.

[Betsy]

Thanx Erno for the info about my question it looks like I won't need a visa for my Andros & Tinos visit & my other walking hol in Sfakia in September. I certainly did not vote for Brexit & nearly all my friends did not either, in fact I know very few people who did.
The county I live in Ceredigion actually voted to remain. The British people were not given enough real information by those 'In Power" of what leaving the EU would entail.
Dave

Interestingly Dave, you visit the same places as us. - Andros is another island we spend time on as we have friends with a house there. We are also originally from Wales!

As I said in an earlier post, we voted remain.....as did almost everyone we know. It is the 90 day ‘third country rule’ that is going to be a huge problem for us when Brexit happens. That is not going to be ‘got over’ even if there is a ‘soft brexit’ with an agreement on other matters between the U.K. and the EU. We will be in the same position as Australians, Americans, Canadians etc. We drive to Kriti, so spend weeks in other EU countries en route, which will ‘eat in to’ our time in Greece. It is all a huge mess and I am furious about it!

[Betsy]

Another thought.....
Don’t forget All U.K. citizens will probably need IDP’s if we want to drive on Crete. We are getting ours this week, as we are setting off for Greece before Brexit, and cannot take a chance that anything will be agreed between the EU and the U.K. before we go.

[Erno]

Thanks for the heads-up, Betsy. You are probably right regarding the need for a International Driver's Permit for non-EU citizens.

You can read about it here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=856

[Nick]

Sadly, another thing that needs to be checked is the International Driving Permit, especially if you are transiting through other countries. I found it confusing, but when I looked on the UK Gov site a couple of weeks ago it appeared that you need to check which IDP you need ... driving through France to Spain would require two different IDPs for now!

The next time I visit Crete it will be on my Irish passport ...

[Erno]

Greece working to keep UK travelers coming after Brexit - 6 February, 2019

The Greek government is reportedly taking measures ahead of a no-deal Brexit in efforts to facilitate incoming tourists from the UK, which makes up its second largest source market for tourism.

According to a Bloomberg report citing a Greek foreign ministry official, government policy-makers are looking into ways to allow Britons to continue to travel and live in Greece after the UK exits the European Union on March 29.

Indicatively, UK travelers generated over 14 percent of the country’s tourism revenue in the January-November period in 2017. In view of Brexit, the figure dropped last year by 6.2 percent to 1.9 billion euros, as did the number of British visitors, down by 1.7 percent to 2.9 million people in 2018, the Bank of Greece found.

In an attempt to ensure incoming tourism from the UK after Brexit, the Greek government, Bloomberg reports, is exploring the possibility of maintaining visa-free status for UK nationals. At the same time, British citizens living in Greece will not be considered citizens from third countries, or non-EU countries.

The government is set to table draft bills and presidential decrees in this direction should there be a hard Brexit.

In November, the EU proposed visa-free travel for Britons after Brexit, which would allow visa-less travel to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period applicable as of March 30.

Meanwhile, according to research presented by ForwardKeys at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London last year, booking behavior of British holidaymakers for EU destinations, including Greece, did not appear affected.

The Association of British Travel Agents’ (ABTA), currently running its “Travel with Confidence” national campaign, reiterated the European Commission’s decision that even in a no-deal Brexit scenario, flights will continue to operate between the UK and EU with no visa requirement.

From: https://news.gtp.gr/2019/02/05/bloomber ... er-brexit/

[Erno]

Greece releases Brexit-related guidance for UK citizens - 28 February, 2019

The Greek Foreign Ministry has launched a new website to provide guidance to UK nationals living in Greece or planning to visit the country, aiming to help them prepare once the UK withdraws from the EU on March 29, a process known as ‘Brexit’.

“Whether it is for a short visit or for a desire to live in Greece for longer periods of time, Brexit will have consequences on the rights of British nationals and the formalities they will need to follow to stay in Greece permanently,” the ministry says on the website.

The ministry aims to ensure that Britons are fully aware of what to expect and what necessary steps may need to be taken once the UK becomes a third country as of March 30.

The new website provides answers are for a series of questions concerning mobility; residence and work permit; travel arrangements (visa-passport); healthcare; Greek nationality; and elections.

A section is also available for users to ask their own questions.

According to the ministry, the website will be updated soon with more questions and answers.

You find the website here: http://brexit.gov.gr/uk-citizens-in-greece/

From: https://news.gtp.gr/2019/02/27/greece-r ... -citizens/