Travelling to Greece for treatment after Brexit

The 31st of December of 2020, for most, will be a very much anticipated end to a rather eventful year. However, this date will mark the last day the United Kingdom will be part of the European Union, initiating a new reality to UK patients wishing to travel to Greece for IVF treatment.

Although the realization of this may seem daunting at first, things are not so dim as they look. Here at Newlife IVF Greece we already deal with many patients travelling to Thessaloniki, Greece from different non-EU countries such as the USA and Australia without any issues and we expect this to be the case with our UK patients as well.

Let’s go over what we know so far:

You will not need a Visa
Travellers will not require to have a visa for trips shorter than 90 days.

Travelling with your medications
Nothing will change on that front. We will be still providing our patients with the required flight letters so that they can travel uninterrupted with their medications to Greece. The same applies to medications you need to take with you back home when you leave Greece.

You will need to check your passport
In order to travel to Greece following the 1st of January 2021 patients will need to make sure that their passports will be valid for least 6 months following the expected travel date and have been issued less than 10 years ago. Not meeting those requirements may mean that entrance to Greece (or any other EU country) may be denied. In order to check if your UK passport is valid to travel to EU countries please click here.

Mobile roaming
From the 1st of January 2021, the free mobile roaming throughout EU countries will possible not apply to UK citizens. Travellers will need to contact their phone operators to be informed regarding the roaming charges that will be imposed.

Healthcare
While part of the EU, UK travellers did not have to think about travel insurance for healthcare prior to travelling to EU countries. However, with the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) expiring on the 31st of December, travel insurance may be something to consider. Kindly note that travel insurance, although recommended, it will not be a requirement to travel to the EU. Here, you can find more information on purchasing the right travel insurance to cover your needs.

Driving in Greece
If you are considering renting a car or even taking your own vehicle to Greece, you will possibly need to carry extra documents to the ones you already have. Click here to find more information on driving licenses, international driving permits, vehicle insurance and registration documents, sticker and number plates, along with information on the unfortunate case that you get involved in an accident.

Travelling with your pet friends
In order to be able to travel with your pet, you will be required to contact your vet at least 4 months prior to your journey so that you can be informed of the latest advice. The UK has not yet received an official categorization in the EU Pet travel scheme. For more information click here.

Travelling During COVID
At this stage, the most uncertainty circulates around what will happen travel-wise as the UK becomes a third country to the EU during the pandemic. The COVID situation sadly remains still uncertain, and the newly gained third country status makes the UK subject to the already imposed system that only allows specific non-EU countries, residents, to enter the EU, while each EU country has the liberty to make its own alteration to the said list. For the time being, whether the UK will be on the list remains unknown. However, if the UK gains a similar status to countries such as the USA or Australia then travel will be feasible as your treatment cycle would fall under the essential travel category as you will have a medical reason to travel abroad. Our staff at Newlife IVF Greece will be more than happy to provide you with all the necessary documents needed in the possibility of such a situation.

This new reality, in combination with the unease the pandemic, has caused, along with the stress of having an IVF treatment can be a cause of distress and unnecessary panic. Regardless of the primary fears, you may have due to this situation, it is of vital importance to stay calm, assess the situation and let us guide you on your next steps. Together we will get through this, carefully, one step at a time so that we can adapt to this new reality as smoothly as possible.

In order to get more information regarding treatment here at Newlife IVF Greece following Brexit, please do not hesitate to contact us by clicking here.