The UK Government has written to 365,000 UK Nationals living in Europe with advice on the actions they need to take to prepare for the end of the UK transition period on 31 December. This includes 315 letters issued to UK Nationals in Slovenia.
UK Nationals resident before 31 December can continue living and working in Europe but may need to register or apply for residency.
UK State Pensioners will continue to receive their pensions as they do now.
The letters, sent to UK State Pensioners and benefit recipients, give advice on how to register for residency and healthcare, exchange driving licences and check new passport validity rules online. It is one of the largest-ever mail outs by the UK Government to UK nationals living in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Ambassador Sadler in Ljubljana
British Ambassador to Slovenia Tiffany Sadler said:
“In the crucial months ahead I look forward to continuing our Embassy’s efforts since 2017, to hear from Brits in Slovenia and help them get the information they need. We will keep communicating – including through our outreach events, Facebook pages, the Living in Slovenia Guide, and our newsletter – to help and support all British nationals living in Slovenia through the new processes.”
The UK Government has been running a public information campaign featuring online, radio and newspaper adverts across 30 countries informing UK Nationals of the actions they need to take. This is in addition to the hundreds of town hall meetings, street surgeries and online Q&As run by the UK’s Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates across Europe.
UK Nationals living in Slovenia can find the most up to date information on actions they may need to take in the ‘Living in Guide’ at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-slovenia. They can also follow the British Embassy on Facebook, to get updates on any events or changes: https://www.facebook.com/ukinslovenia
NOTES
- Citizens’ rights: UK Nationals’ rights to continue living in EU member states are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement (and Separation Agreement with EFTA countries), provided they are permanently resident and exercising their treaty/free movement rights by 31 December 2020. This is not affected by the UK’s ongoing trade negotiation with the EU.
Actions UK Nationals may need to take include:
- · Applying or registering for residency
- · Checking or registering for healthcare
- · Exchanging UK driving licence
- · Checking passport validity
- Contacting UK Nationals: There is no requirement for UK Nationals to register with their local British Embassy and the UK Government does not keep a database of UK Nationals living overseas, however a large number of UK Nationals are Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) customers which enables the UK Government to contact them with information that’s relevant to their circumstances. This mail out to DWP customers, which may include a small number of non-UK Nationals, is intended to supplement a public information campaign operating in all EU and EFTA countries (except Ireland, where these changes do not apply)
