From credit cards to sperm donations: What no-deal Breixt could mean

Anti-Brexit demonstrators protest outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool this week. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The documents, which have been published in batches on the gov.uk website since the end of August, cover a range of areas from roaming charges for mobile phones to delays in sperm donations arriving in the UK.

PERSONAL FINANCE

The removal of an EU ban on credit and debit card surcharges is “likely” to increase the cost of shopping.

Consumers would face another potential cost increase when online shopping, with parcels arriving in the UK no longer liable for Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) on VAT.

UK citizens living in Europe face the possibility of losing access to their pension income and other financial services.

BUSINESS

Businesses exporting to Europe may have to “renegotiate commercial terms” to reflect customs and other tariff changes.

The firms may also need to pay out for new software or hire “a customs broker, freight forwarder or logistics provider” to help them deal with new requirements.

Companies exporting across the Irish border should “consider whether you will need advice from the Irish Government about preparations you need to make”.

UK firms working on the EU’s 10 billion euro Galileo satellite navigation system could be cut out of existing contracts as well as barred from seeking new ones.

HEALTH

NHS patients may face delays accessing innovative treatments.

Cigarette packet health warnings would change as the current images used are copyrighted to the EU.

People trying to conceive a child could be hit by delays to foreign sperm donations as Danish semen made up almost half of all non-British male reproductive material imported to the UK in 2017.

RED TAPE

Organic food producers face a “cliff edge” of exporting to the EU only if certified by a body approved by the European Commission, with certification taking up to nine months after Brexit.

The Government is planning to recruit an extra 9,000 staff into the civil service to deal with Brexit, in addition to 7,000 currently working on preparations.

The Government will pay for British aid organisation programmes whose funding could be ended in the event of no deal.

Producers of dozens of types of British traditional foods, from Cornish clotted cream to Welsh lamb, may be forced to apply for new protected status from the EU.

TRAVEL

Free mobile phone data roaming in the EU “could no longer be guaranteed” - although Vodafone, Three, EE and O2, which cover more than 85% of mobile subscribers, have said they have no current plans to change their approach and bring in new charges.

Holders of legal firearms face additional bureaucracy if they want to take them to EU countries, because the European Firearms Pass would no longer be available to UK citizens.

British drivers might need International Driving Permits (IDP) if the EU does not agree to recognise UK licences.

Passengers could face flight disruption as airlines will have to obtain individual permissions to operate between the UK and the EU.

Bus and coach services to European Union countries could be suspended as no deal would mean operators could no longer rely on automatic recognition by the EU of UK-issued community licences.

Pet owners may face months of preparation before a trip to Europe as without agreement and the UK becomes an “unlisted” country and a health certificate would be needed to prove pets are effectively vaccinated for rabies.