If you live in the EU, as a Brit, how has Brexit affected you, personally?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I’ll start with the trivial. Hardly anything worth watching on Amazon Prime now, as most stuff is not available in the EU. Delivery of goods to EU from U.K. are mostly not happening.

On a more serious note, DD2’s planned internship can’t take place next summer as she has no right to work here any more.

Both DDs are doing U.K. university online at the moment. It would be great if they could do it here, living with us, as Covid rates have dropped hugely here (down to around 20 cases per 100,000), shops and restaurants are open, and life would be more pleasant. But they can’t, as they’re only allowed to stay here for 90 days in 180. I’ve asked if they could have some kind of long stay visa, but they’re not eligible for any kind of visa, unless they choose to study here. DH is currently in U.K. with them, and life feels very fragmented. Obviously they will all come out for summer holidays but that seems such a long way away!

I have to retake my driving test and my professional qualifications are no longer recognised. I hate to think what it will to my pension accumulated in the uk. Probably have to pay tax as it is foreign income (but that is a future problem). I have pay tax on presents for the kids coming from the uk.

Nothing else has come to light yet. But those are expensive enough. Fucking brexit imho.

I’ll also add the inconvenience of getting an international driving permit (different varieties of) if we want to drive back to U.K. or drive somewhere on holiday. We can just exchange our driving licence for a local one, which might be a solution. I say “just”, but we need a couple of days to sort out the bureaucracy and have a medical.

Long-term has been financial. We have good pensions and there are others far worse off than us, but the fall in the pound since the Brexit vote has cost us about 8% of our income. We applied for residency cards straight away in 2016 and have had our driving licences for ages. We have no vote anywhere.

I have dual citizenship so I at least haven't had to deal with the shittiness of getting post-brexit residency (lots of complaints from Brits here about the long waits and confusion and hassle of it all, and that no one, especially not the people in charge, seem to know what they're doing) and have no UK bank accounts or pensions to worry about.

Ordering things from the UK is too much of a hassle now, british cornershop online shop isn't even delivering now because couriers won't take food for delivery to the EU. My parents sending presents and care packages is much more difficult now, not sure if even worth it with the fees I'll have to pay to receive them. Seems likely that a supermarket chain here that has an import deal with Tesco, importing nice foods, will have to end that deal because of the extra costs so that's more nice things being taken away.

Do you have to pay fees on presents? I grew up outside UK in 80s and presents did not have fees then.

@schimmelreiter

Do you have to pay fees on presents? I grew up outside UK in 80s and presents did not have fees then.

If they are posted from the UK over to somebody in the EU I rather suspect they'll simply be regarded by customs as goods imported into the EU and there will be a tariff.

We ( we're in the EU) have already had to post a small parcel to the UK and though ATM there's no duty to pay there's now much more form filling involved.

As Natsku says it's no longer straightforward ordering online from many UK retailers and i any event some now won't send stuff out to EU addresses.

Hi, we had to stick a little form on the parcel and tick 'gift' - my American friend does the same. A pain, but better than paying tax and admin fees. This was pre computers so it was just a little gummed form that went on the parcel. Not that this information mitigates the c rap of Brexi t in any way.

And I am remembering the dark ages - I presume you are talking about parcels ordered online for you - in my day they had to buy the stuff then post it. How crap, to know things could be easier and not be able to do it! I will stop with the unsolicited advice!

It spurred me on to getting my Irish citizenship but my OH is buggered - previously he's worked on contract in the UK/Madrid/Paris/Amsterdam without a problem; not possible (or not easily possible) now.

@notimagain but the recipients of the parcel in the UK will have to pay a Customs fee before they can receive it. Depending on the value thresholds.

Post to and from the U.K. is now a nightmare, I used to send little gifts to my cousin and her daughter but I’ll probably just order things direct from U.K. suppliers now, which is a shame as they enjoyed getting different things from here that we had picked for them

We were already residents but I have now got dual citizenship, and my husband can apply by marriage, so eventually we will both be eu citizens again. However, he can no longer work in the way he was, back to the import/export issues, so we’re lucky that he’s heading for retirement age anyway

I’m just glad that if it had to happen it happened at this stage in our lives, if it had been 10-15 years ago we would have been completely fucked

For anyone thinking of moving to the EU, you will be charged 40% duty on your own goods and furniture being shipped to the EU, most of the transport companies here are in limbo with goods in warehouses that they can’t move either way. Some items have arrived here but the trucks can’t be opened without a customs officer being present, so there’s a complete bottleneck and goodness knows what rotting away

The shops that import U.K. food items are having nightmares and I’m not sure if they will be sustainable in future. Also those that import U.K. furniture

[quote whatisheupto]@notimagain but the recipients of the parcel in the UK will have to pay a Customs fee before they can receive it. Depending on the value thresholds.[/quote]

Err..I know..that's exactly why I mentioned in my post the possibility that gifts could "simply be regarded by customs as goods imported into the EU and there will be a tariff."...and of course pre-brexit it was not unknown to have to pay duty on parcels arriving in the EU (including the UK) from the States.

I'll admit I've not delved in detail of this recently and it's possible that there is or will be a "gift" exemption/tick box but giving that option of course raises other issues for the authorities..

I think also for people moving back to the UK there will be customs duties for bringing furniture back.

For DD - having got an unnecessary stamp in her passport, and having to change her Driving Licence, which might mean that if she comes back to the UK, she would need to take her test again.

Sending parcels to family in the UK much more expensive. Can’t order stuff from the UK. So many companies are going to go bust over this shitshow, it is ridiculous.

@schimmelreiter

Do you have to pay fees on presents? I grew up outside UK in 80s and presents did not have fees then.

If the value of the gift is under 45 euros you don't have to pay any fees (but you do have to go through the paperwork and declare to customs if its over 22 euros and there's a small fee for that) but over 45 euros you have to pay customs duty and VAT.

I bought some face creams from the UK (by mistake - they should have come from the EU warehouse). I had to pay 40 euros for a sanitation inspection, 27 euros customs/vat and fill in 5 forms! The final cost was MORE than the goods themselves.

@Natsku

I have dual citizenship so I at least haven't had to deal with the shittiness of getting post-brexit residency (lots of complaints from Brits here about the long waits and confusion and hassle of it all,

Actually I'd become so numb to that ongoing process I'd suppressed any thought of it..

In all the excitement over our brand new customs opportunities we've sort of skated over that * nightmare of paper chases, rendezvous and the associated uncertainties.

Urgh, I feel for you, it sounds all levels of frustrating and despair-inducing

For anyone thinking of moving to the EU, you will be charged 40% duty on your own goods and furniture being shipped to the EU

That seems steep - is it country specific? Looks like you can get customs relief for furniture and other belongings if you transfer your residence to the UK - subject to relatively straightforward criteria;

www.gov.uk/guidance/transfer-of-residence-to-great-britain

FWIW French rules for household goods arriving from a country situated outside of the EU was that they could be imported duty free, but you were advised to have receipts for anything under 6 months old..

Actually I'd become so numb to that ongoing process I'd suppressed any thought of it..

True! I didn't include all the hassle and cost of applying for a new driving licence, new resident permit, citizenship application etc

For me the biggest effect of Brexit is how it has really made me dislike being British. I thought there was still some little inkling of British "fair play" among politicians, even this government, but they took away our vote and then threw us under the bus.

These are the rules that we have been told about by several transport companies specialising in removals U.K.-Portugal