The European Commission is glad to announce that 60,000 free travel rail passes are available!

Thanks to DiscoverEU, the Commission will provide free rail passes to 60,000 Europeans aged between 18 and 20. Applications can be submitted from 12 noon tomorrow, 12th October, until 12 noon on 26th October. This is a change for young Europeans to travel in 2022, “the European Year of Youth Empowerment”.

Conditions

This application cycle is open to young Europeans born between the 1st of July 2001 and 31st December 2003. Exceptionally, following the postponement of previous editions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, young people aged 19 and 20 will also be able to apply. Successful applicants will be able to travel between March 2022 and February 2023 for a maximum period of 30 days. As the course of the pandemic is still uncertain, all travellers will be offered flexible bookings through a new mobile pass. The departure date can be changed up to the time of departure. Mobile travel passes are valid for one year. The Commission advises all travellers to check possible travel restrictions on ReopenEU.

Travel in Europe by Train – a sustainable choice

The Commission will offer young people information and advice and will cover the necessary costs for special assistance (accompanying person, assistance dog, etc.). Successful applicants can travel alone or in groups of up to five people (all within the eligible age group). In order to encourage sustainable travel and thus contribute to the European Green Deal, DiscoverEU participants will mainly travel by train. However, they will also be able to use other means of transport such as bus or ferry or, in exceptional cases, aeroplane, so that they can participate from all corners of the EU.

This means that young people living in remote or island regions can also take part. Each Member State is allocated a quota of passes, based on the ratio of its population to the total population of the European Union.

The benefits of this experience

In 2018-2019, for a total of 70,000 available travel passes, 350,000 applicants applied, 66% of whom were travelling by train outside their country of residence for the first time. For many, it was also their first trip without parents or adult carers, and most said they had become more independent. The DiscoverEU experience gave them a better understanding of other cultures and European history and improved their knowledge of foreign languages. Two-thirds stated that they would not have been able to purchase a travel pass without DiscoverEU.

To apply, you need to:

• Be born between 1 July 2001 and 31 December 2003.✅
• Be a citizen of one of the EU countries✅🇪🇺

To apply, eligible applicants must answer a multiple-choice quiz about the European Union in general and other EU initiatives aimed at young people.

Around 70,000 young people have already participated since the launch of the programme.
If you have a wanderlust soul, become part of the DiscoverEU travellers community by applying now!

How to apply ❓🇪🇺

Fill in the application form before 26 October → europa.eu/youth/discovereu_en 

Visit the Youth Exchange section