Travel News · 4 min read · 2026

Ten years of Brexit: how leaving the EU changed the way we travel

Border queues, passport confusion, and a new visa on the way. A decade on from the referendum, UK holidaymakers are still navigating the travel fallout from Brexit.

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New Holiday Extras research, released on the tenth anniversary of the Brexit vote, finds that confusion around EU travel rules remains widespread. Border control queues are the top concern for UK holidaymakers, nearly half don't understand passport validity rules for the Schengen Area, and three quarters are unaware of the details of the incoming ETIAS visa scheme. The Entry/Exit System (EES), introduced in April 2026, has driven a new category of UK traveller anxiety that has no equivalent elsewhere in Europe.

Ten years on : and the paperwork keeps coming

On 23 June 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union. Ten years later, the practical consequences for British holidaymakers are still unfolding. New rules, new systems and new admin have piled up across a decade : and with ETIAS still to launch, the process is not finished yet.

Research by Holiday Extras, released to mark the anniversary, surveyed 500 UK holidaymakers to find out what they know, what they fear, and what they have already experienced as a result of Brexit's impact on travel.

The picture it paints is one of lingering confusion, real-world consequences, and anxiety about what comes next.

Border queues: the number one concern

With summer holidays approaching, the length of queues at EU border control is front of mind for British travellers. More than one in five (23%) say they are very concerned about queues as they prepare to travel. Missing a connecting flight or onward journey is the second highest concern (21%), and not knowing how long a crossing will take rounds out the top three (16%).

These concerns have a direct cause. Analysis of UK search data shows that "passport control wait" only became a meaningful search category after the Entry/Exit System (EES) was introduced. Search volumes peaked when EES became fully operational in April 2026. France is the only other major EU destination that has seen related search interest rise since the Brexit vote : and even there, volumes have fallen 43% since EES launched, leaving the UK as the clear outlier across Europe.

Passport rules: less understood now than in 2021

Passport validity requirements are where confusion is most acute. Almost half (44%) of those polled do not understand the specific rules for a UK passport holder entering the Schengen Area. That represents a drop in familiarity since 2021 : when the formal end of the UK's EU integration came into effect : and 60% said they were familiar with the changes at that time.

The impact of that confusion is not merely theoretical. A quarter of respondents (25%) say they have experienced issues first-hand, including having to change or cancel plans, or being denied boarding at the airport after being told their passport was invalid.

ETIAS: three quarters of travellers in the dark

Later this year, the EU's ETIAS scheme will require UK travellers to apply for authorisation before entering the Schengen Zone, at a cost of EUR 20 per adult. Despite this being an essential part of planning any EU holiday once it launches, awareness remains strikingly low.

Three quarters (73%) of UK travellers do not know the details of ETIAS. Half of those (50%) say they were not even aware it was being introduced. For a scheme affecting anyone travelling to the EU, that represents a significant gap between policy and public knowledge.

What this means for UK holidaymakers

Seamus McCauley, Head of Public Affairs at Holiday Extras, said:

"Brexit fundamentally changed the way people from the UK can travel within the EU, and even though we're ten years past the vote to leave, we are still getting our heads around the ramifications it has brought.

"While the majority of the EU's policies are well-intentioned, the reality for holidaymakers is more admin, longer queues, and more time taken away from what holidays are all about: relaxing and having fun. After the flawed rollout of the EES system earlier this year, the EU needs to have a structured and well thought-through implementation plan for ETIAS.

"At Holiday Extras we're in the business of making travel smoother from the moment people leave home. Confusing travel rules, systems that don't work, and more admin runs counter to everything that should make European travel great."

Research notes

Research was conducted with 500 UK holidaymakers, completed on 11 June 2026. A separate Holiday Extras survey of 500 UK holidaymakers completed on 13 September 2021 provided the 2021 passport familiarity comparison figure. Search volume analysis covering "passport control wait" across the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Portugal was completed on 12 June 2026, covering the period 2011 to 2026.