Brexit: Can I live, work or study in the EU after 1 January?

There will be big changes for UK nationals wishing to live, work or study in the European Union in 2021.

That's because the changes brought about by Brexit finally come into force.

From 1 January 2021, UK citizens will no longer have an automatic right to live or work in the EU, so if you're looking to do this, you will need to check an individual country's immigration rules.

If you have any professional qualifications in the UK, you will also want to check whether they are recognised where you plan to work.

You might be able to apply for an EU Blue Card, which gives highly qualified workers from outside the EU the right to live and work in an EU country.

UK and Irish citizens can continue to live, work and move freely between the Republic of Ireland and the UK, as well as access free health services and social welfare benefits.

This is because of a longstanding agreement called the Common Travel Area, which pre-dates Brexit and is not impacted by it.

UK citizens who moved to an EU member state before 31 December 2020 can carry on living and working there. But you must register as a resident in the country where you live by 30 June 2021.

Different EU countries have different systems and rules on how to apply for residence - the UK government has a country-by-country guide on what to do.

If you're a UK national living in the EU and you want to move back to the UK, you're allowed to bring close family members (children, partners, parents and grandparents) who have EU citizenship.

Until 29 March 2022 these family members will be able to move to the UK without a visa.

People who live in one EU country but work in another are called "frontier workers" under EU rules.

These cross-border workers can continue as they did before Brexit. You can apply for a document which certifies this in the country you work in.

If you are a UK citizen and travel to the EU for work periodically - say a few times a month - you are not classed as a frontier worker and will need a visa in future.

Many UK students attending European universities have done so through Erasmus, an EU scheme. It's not entirely clear whether the UK intends to continue taking part in it.

If you're a UK national already studying in the EU, you should continue to be treated the same as students from that country and other EU students in terms of fees and any financial support the country offers. But you will need to make sure you meet all visa requirements if you travel there after 1 January.

If you're starting a course from January at an EU university, you should contact them to see whether arrangements have changed.

In future, UK students will be treated like any other non-EU students. This could mean higher tuition fees in some countries.

You should also think about whether you have enough healthcare and travel insurance.

Brexit will not impact a UK national who plans to study in the Republic of Ireland, because of the Common Travel Area arrangement mentioned earlier.

Yes, but you will have to get up to speed with the rules EU countries have for non-EU pensioners.

For example, when the UK was part of the EU, pensioners were entitled to state-provided health care in the EU country they lived in on the same terms as the nationals of that country. This will no longer be the case for new arrivals.

If you lived in the EU before the end of 2020 you will still be able to use the Ehic when you are on holiday, entitling you to state-provided medical treatment.

You can continue to receive your UK state pension if you move to the EU but you will need to tell a number of government offices including your local council and HM Revenue and Customs that you are retiring abroad. You will also want to keep up to date on guidance on pensions and benefits for UK nationals moving to the EU.

There has also not yet been an agreement that would allow UK state pensions to increase every year for beneficiaries living in EU countries as they would for those living in the UK.

You can still travel from the UK to EU countries as long as your visit is no longer than 90 days. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania are the exceptions. You could make a 90-day trip to any of them and still not use up your 90-day allowance for other EU countries.

Any visit longer than that will mean applying to individual countries for a visa.

These rules will apply regardless of the kind of holiday you take in an EU country - including if you are visiting your second home.

From 2022, UK nationals will have to pay for a visa-waiver scheme in order to visit many European countries.