BREXIT impact on UN Travel Document holders – Update
Following the end of the BREXIT transitional period, it is no longer the case that UK resident UN Travel Document holders will be automatically permitted entry to all European countries without an advance visa.
EU Members States have been given the authority to individually decide on whether to require UK resident UN Travel Document holders to have been issued with a Schengen visa in advance of travel, or not.
The European Commission’s Notice on Travelling between the EU and the UK after the end of the transition period provides:
“Member States can currently decide to exempt from the visa requirement recognised refugees, stateless persons and other persons not holding the nationality of any country residing in the United Kingdom and holding a travel document issued by the United Kingdom, which is recognised by the Member State concerned.
As from the end of the transition period, Member States can still decide individually whether to grant a visa waiver to refugees and stateless persons residing in the United Kingdom, or whether to require a visa before travel.’’
Given that there is no unifying EU legislation yet on visa/visa waiver rules for UK-resident UN Travel Document holders, and individual EU Members States are taking their time on making any decisions in this regard, if you hold a UN Travel Document, it is critical that you check whether you require a Schengen visa directly with the Embassy of your travel destination prior to departure.
The web pages of the Embassies of selected European countries can be found here:
If you would like further information in this regard, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Send us an e-mail, or alternatively, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook to stay up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please don’t hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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