10 EU rules that help you enjoy your holidays!
On holiday? Whether you stay home or you travel within the EU, our rules on healthcare, consumer protection, roaming, clean water (and more) follow you. How many of them are you aware of?
It is not too late to learn what your rights are when you are using your phone, taking a flight, shopping or renting a car. Here are some EU rules that ensure European citizens can have fun and hassle-free holidays each year:
1. Travelling across borders made easier
No queues for visas or custom checks, nor any such bureaucratic hassles for European citizens. In the EU, you can travel where ever your heart takes you. Be sure to pick up your ID card (or passport) though! ℹ️ More
2. Your EHIC card and prescriptions
Accidents can happen. But we have you covered. Just take your European Health Insurance Card with you. It helps you access the healthcare services in any EU country. ℹ️ More
Prescriptions issued by a doctor registered in the EU are valid in all EU countries. So you can get your medicines abroad as well.
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3. Passenger rights
Delayed train? Cancelled flight? Lost or damaged luggage? Depending on the situation, you may be entitled to refund, compensation or other assistance.
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In case you booked a package holiday, you would also benefit from a high level of consumer protection under EU rules, including strong cancellation rights, clear information and much more. ℹ️ More
4. Does your pet have a passport?
Do you want to take your cat or your dog with you on holiday? Don’t forget to ask your vet for a European Pet Passport. ℹ️ More
5. Roam like at home (and your online subscriptions)
When you use your mobile phone while travelling outside your home country in any EU country you don’t have to pay any additional roaming charges. You pay exactly the same price for calling, texting and surfing the Internet on your mobile phone when travelling in the EU as you would if you were home.
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Moreover, your online subscriptions to streaming platforms are valid across borders. So your movie or music is not interrupted as you cross borders.
6. Shopping abroad
Holidays and shopping go hand-in-hand, don’t they? No matter what you buy and where you buy it in the EU, a trader must repair, replace, reduce the price or give you a refund if something you buy turns out to be faulty or does not look or work as advertised. ℹ️ More
7. Driving and renting a car
A driving licence issued in an EU country is valid throughout the EU. And so is your car insurance policy from your home country. But it is advisable to be mindful of local traffic rules. ℹ️ More
You have certain rights when you rent a car abroad, but be careful: you do not automatically have the right to cancel and claim a refund if you made the booking online.
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8. Take the plunge
In the EU, over 90% of European bathing sites have excellent water quality. EU rules have been ensuring healthier seas, lakes and rivers through monitoring, testing and investments in waste water treatment over the last 40 years. Wherever you take the plunge this summer, we want you to enjoy clean waters. ℹ️ More
9. Do not forget your sunscreen
Under EU rules, all sunscreen products on the market have to have protection against UV radiation, a meaningful indication of their efficiency and labels providing sufficient guidance. ℹ️ More
10. For emergencies, a single number across the EU
112 is the European emergency number you can dial free of charge from fixed and mobile phones everywhere in the EU and Switzerland. It will connect you straight to the emergency services across the EU — police, ambulance, fire brigade. ℹ️ More
Need more information on any of these rules?
• Don’t forget to bookmark Your Europe on your smartphone so you can access it with one click whenever you need.
• When you travel in the EU
Images © European Union
