No-deal Brexit may stall unprepared drivers, UK Government warns

British drivers might need new driving licences in order to hit the road on the other side of the Channel in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Government has warned.

Holidaymakers, lorry drivers and other business travellers may need International Driving Permits (IDP) if the EU does not agree to recognise UK licences, guidance released on Thursday says.
They warn British drivers may be turned away at borders or face enforcement action if they have not obtained the correct documents before arrival.

A similar situation could apply to driver in Gibraltar, which issues UK-standard licences that are recognised by the EU.

The warning was contained in a tranche of 28 technical papers released by UK Government departments on Thursday advising businesses and consumers on potential impacts of a no-deal Brexit.
Among the other advice was:

- Free mobile phone data roaming in the EU "could no longer be guaranteed" – although major operators including Vodafone, Three, EE and O2, which cover more than 85% of mobile subscribers, have said they have no current plans to change their approach and bring in new charges.

- Transfers of personal data from remaining EU countries to British companies and organisations could be restricted.

- Holders of legal firearms face additional bureaucracy if they want to take them to EU countries, because the European Firearms Pass would no longer be available to UK citizens.

The release came three weeks after an initial set of 24 papers was released by the UK Government, with reportedly more than 80 earmarked for publication before the end of September.