Advice needed - upcoming holiday in EU!

[confusedofengland]

We (myself, DH & 3 DC) are going to Portugal in just under 2 weeks' time. We will be there for 2 weeks. We booked this over a year ago & are obviously very excited about it

However, due to the current Brexit/not-Brexit situation, there are a couple of things I'm unsure about, so wondered if anybody knows what we need to do? Thanks!

1. Driving. We are hiring a car for the duration, have booked it. DH has a normal GB driver's licence. But will he need to get an international one? As I understand it, the GB one will now be ok for the first part of our holiday, but not the second, unless Brexit is extended/cancelled. Does something even exist atm for us not being in the EU?

1. EHIC cards. We have one each, but again, as things stand now, presumably they will only be valid for part of the holiday, so what happens if we need medical attention when we are no longer part of the EU? Obviously I'm hoping we won't, but there is no guarantee!

If anybody knows what to do about these I'd be really grateful for advice.

1. It doesn't cost a great deal to get an international driver's licence AND a green card from your insurance company, so personally with things as up in the air as they are I would probably just get them and relax.

1. You obviously need travel insurance anyway, as well as the EHIC, so not sure why this makes a difference?

There is talk that you will need a "green card" for driving. Think this is available from your car insurance. Maybe give the insurance company a ring?
Also get holiday insurance just in case.

I had vaguely looked at international driver's licences before, but in the list of countries couldn't see Portugal, so I think I'll look again.

And we do have travel insurance, so will check medical cover with them. I hadn't thought of it before for some reason!

Thanks both.

It's easy to get an international driving licence - just do it. And your travel insurance will cover any medical costs. You are right to be thinking of these issues, but there is no need to be worries about them. There are plenty if tourists in Portugal who aren't EU citizens (Americans, Australians, etc).

I was looking at renewing my ehic card yesterday for this exact reason, however I have permanent travel insurance, which gives a much higher level of cover anyway, so I’m not too bothered. Thank you for the reminder about the driving licence though, I’m in Portugal in May and July and will be driving, so will need to look into that too

SummerintheSun I know that obviously there will be non-EU citizens there, but what I find confusing is that we will be for some of it & not for the rest of it!

I am going to Portugal in a few weeks and hiring a car. I got an IDP from the post office last week. Bit of a joke really - small card wallet with a passport photo glued in and filled in with a pen. It cost £5.50 and lasts for 3 years for the 1968 permit. ( If you want to drive in Spain while you are there then you will also need the 1948 IDP as there are different licenses for different countries.)

I think you only need the green card if you are using your own car.

My travel insurance covers health stuff so no worries about not being able to access EHIC card.

DH just got his international driving permit on Friday. Need a passport photo and you just get it at the post office