As a British Citizen, with a UK Passport, an Irish Driving Licence and Irish Family perhaps I've more reason to be concerned than most about the impacts this 'Exit' could have on our day to day life, UK holidays, shopping and our freedom to travel.

People

Ireland falls within this long-standing arrangement with the UK and will continue to enable British and Irish citizens to move freely between, and reside in, these islands. It is contained within various pieces of legislation in both Ireland and the UK and it will continue after Brexit. This includes the right to work, study, access social welfare benefits, voting rights in certain elections and access health services.

The Cross Border Directive (CBD) might also continue to allow you to get UK healthcare if it remains as either a EU or EEA or Single Market Member state.

More available here www.citizensinformation.ie

Goods

"The UK Government has confirmed that no checks or tariffs will apply to goods entering Northern Ireland from Ireland in a no-deal Brexit for an initial period of 12 months. However, tariffs will apply to goods entering the rest of the UK from Ireland. "

Source: www.citizensinformation.ie

EU ePassport

Most UK airports are geared to accept modern ePassports with single queues so the experience won't change when entering the UK.

UK Passports

As passports expire (or are recalled) they will revert back to the original blue colour but it's unclear if they will have the biometric 'e' feature to allow quick gate entry at passport control.

Dublin Airport was constructing physical changes at T1 arrivals in early January but it was unclear at the time how it works. However there are ePassport automated entry gates so the process might involve using these but it is likely that other countries will separate UK passport holders when entering EU countries.

Visa Free Travel

On a separate note, and not connected to BREXIT, after January 2021 everyone will be required to register with the European Travel Information and Authorization System. This is the extra bit of documentation that many have used to travel to Spain for a number of years although it may well form part of the airlines duties when creating flight boarding cards.

We don't see many UK or NI car registration plates locally but it's your licence which may well need changing. The following Information sourced from RSA.ie and Gov.Uk prior to Brexit.

EU licence holders driving in the UK.

EU and EEA licenses will continue to be accepted in the UK for visitors and residents.

Converting UK to EU licence.

If you haven't done so already then this statement on the RSA.ie is fairly self explanatory:

"In the absence of alternative arrangements with the UK, you may have to apply for a learner permit if you wish to continue to drive in Ireland. It may also have implications for your insurance cover after this date "

You will need to contact National Driving Licence Service and the nearest office is in Trim for a definitive answer but this was the information on the day of the Brexit:

"In the event of a no deal Brexit your UK/NI licence will no longer be recognised to drive within Ireland.

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is planning to put in place appropriate arrangements that will allow for the exchange of a UK driving licence for an Irish driving licence following Brexit.

However the timeline for this bilateral agreement cannot be confirmed and in the interim period your driving licence will not be valid to drive."

Source: ndls.ie

UK licence holders with UK vehicles visiting the EU:

• If you have a UK Driving Licence then you will not be able to drive in the EU without getting the appropriate International Driving Permit EXCEPT when visiting Ireland.
• UK car drivers will need to carry a motor insurance green card, issued by the insurance provider, when driving in the EU and EEA.
• If you’re taking your vehicle to the EU for less than 12 months, you should carry the vehicle log book or car hire agreement.
• A separate GB sticker must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle.
• Commercial vehicles, trailers, lorries and others should seek independent advice.

See Gov.Uk for more

As with every financial contract the 'devil will be in the fine print' and we hope this will not be yet another opportunity to raise premiums.

Holiday, Driving, Car Hire, Car Excess and Health Insurance and even the E111 cards could be affected and only you have the ability to find out what is and what is not covered.

Reports suggested that no mobile operator intends to make any roaming fee changes after BREXIT.

Consumer Purchasing Protection

This is likely to continue since most already appears in UK Law.

Online Shopping

Our VAT rates here in Republic of Ireland are different but we've all been shopping online where VAT is taken care by retailers.

Duty-free shopping

Technically this will return for alcohol and tobacco products subject the exit deal but how this could practically apply to Northern Ireland is far from clear.

Purchasing vehicles

"If the UK approves the Withdrawal Agreement there will be no change to the registration process during the transitionary period. The information outlined here relates to procedures which may be in place in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Vehicles brought in post-Brexit will be subject to Vehicle Registration Tax, VAT and Customs Duties. There will also be implications for the recognition of UK type approvals once they leave the European Union. Customers are advised to keep up to date with these changes when considering purchasing in the UK."

Source: revenue.ie

Euro Value

If we knew the answer we'd be buying and selling now but unless you are interested in high value amounts then it isn't likely to make much of a difference. The Euro is generally higher and more stable now than in previous years which is good for holiday makers but might not be as good for some Irish export businesses.

Historical Data

Banks

"The Central Bank continues to engage with banks to make sure that they appropriately address the risks posed by Brexit and engage proactively with their customers. In addition, the Central Bank continues to monitor the resilience of banks to ensure they have sufficient financial resources and operational capacity to continue to operate effectively. "

Source: Central Bank

What it doesn't say is whether any Banks will impose international usage fees when you use foreign bank cards in shops or ATM's.

There's still uncertainty in all the above and it will take months to unravel the final exit deal.

By December 2020 we will know what changes are coming.