New travel rules Brits need to know in 2024 – from tourist tax to airport liquids

BRITS who have their sights set on a foreign getaway in the coming year should take note of a fresh set of travel regulations. 

Those who don’t take the new guidelines could face disrupted travel plans and a dent in their finances. 

Here are some of the changes you can expect 2024 to bring and what you need to do before jetting off.

Airports - 100ml liquid rule scrapped

Airports across the UK are in the process of installing new scanners that will scrap the need to have liquids under 100ml.

Smaller airports such as London City and Teeside have already ditched the rules.

However, the government has set a June 2024 deadline for all UK airports to install the machines, with larger airports such as London Heathrow to follow.

Brits will also need to check the rules of the country they are returning from, as this is only in place for outbound UK flights.

Europe - increased tourist tax

If you're planning to visit Amsterdam next year, it's going to cost you more. 

The city is on hotel rooms from seven per cent to 12.5 per cent in 2024, which will be the highest in Europe when it goes live. 

This extra charge applies to people staying in hotels, short-term rentals, guesthouses and even those arriving on cruise ships.

With the increase to 12.5 per cent, if you're staying in a hotel with an average room rate of £150 per person, you'll pay £18.75 per night in taxes, up from £10.50.

For comparison’s sake, popular Paris charges £3.50 per person per night. 

Barcelona is to increase their tourist tax too.

Holidaymakers currently pay a maximum nightly charge of €2.75 (£2.40) but this will rise to €3.25 (£2.80) from April 2024.

And from spring 2024, Venice is to trial charging day-trippers €5 to visit.

Ongoing rules - passport validity and ESTA restrictions

Brits who have been to Cuba anytime after January 2021 are unable to apply for an ESTA. 

Instead, they must apply for a tourist visa to visit the US, which is a much lengthier and more expensive process, costing around £143. It also requires an interview in London, where it can still be declined.

While this was introduced in 2023, some British travellers are still getting stung because they aren’t aware of the new rule.

And as always, the ongoing rules apply for soon-to-be-expired passports for Brits heading abroad.

Your passport issue date has to be less than 10 years before the day of arrival in the EU.

If travelling to Europe, the passport expiry date must be at least three months after the intended day of departure.

For trips to the US, that your passport be valid for at least six months beyond the proposed stay in the States.

If your passport is damaged, both the US and EU recommend obtaining a new one before applying for any visas to “avoid any delay in the processing of your application”.