DiscoverEU: How to get one of the EU’s 36,000 free rail passes for young people this summer

There’s excellent news if you’re younger and in search of a budget-friendly solution to discover Europe this summer season.

The EU is making a gift of nearly 36,000 free rail passes to 18-year-olds below the DiscoverEU scheme.

Launched by Interrail and the EU, the scheme goals to present younger Europeans the chance to find out about their neighbouring international locations and cultures. 

These eligible will be capable of discover Europe’s heritage and historical past whereas assembly folks from throughout the continent.

All you’ll want to do is reply six questions.

DiscoverEU: The right way to apply for a free EU rail cross

To be in with an opportunity of successful a free rail cross, candidates have to be born between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007.

The scheme is open to authorized residents of the 27 EU member states or Abroad International locations. Residents of third international locations related to the Erasmus+ programme may also apply. These embody Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Türkiye.

If that’s you, the following stage is to go to the European Youth Portal to take an eligibility quiz.

You’ll have to reply 5 multiple-choice questions in regards to the EU and one extra query. These cowl common information in regards to the EU and its initiatives geared toward younger folks.

Additionally, you will be requested to present extra details about your journey plans. This consists of once you plan to journey, whether or not will probably be the primary time you’ve travelled alone with out your mother and father, what you wish to study from the expertise and the way you’ll finance your journey.

This data is not going to have any influence on the choice course of.

The Fee will rank candidates based mostly on their EU quiz responses and can supply journey passes following their rating as much as the restrict of obtainable tickets.

Purposes are open from 2 April to 16 April 2025.

You can not apply you probably have beforehand been given a DiscoverEU cross.

How will the free rail cross scheme work?

Those that show profitable will get a free rail cross to journey in Europe for as much as 30 days between 1 July 2025 and 30 September 2026.

On the utility stage, you may select to both journey alone or with a gaggle of as much as 5 mates. When you select to journey as a gaggle, you may share your utility code with your folks to permit their registration.

Solely the group chief has to reply the EU quiz questions; group members simply want to provide private knowledge to finish the appliance and fulfil the age and residency standards.

The journey cross can be utilized in your residency nation just for one outbound and one inbound journey. It should embody journey to a minimum of one different nation eligible below the scheme.

The general journey can final from at some point as much as a most of 1 month, together with as much as seven journey days.

Individuals will usually be eligible for a cross value as much as €283.26 in second or economic system class. The quantity could also be raised for candidates travelling from distant or abroad areas.

In some instances, coach and ferry passes might be included too. To make sure younger folks dwelling in distant areas or on islands aren’t excluded, flights might also be awarded in distinctive instances. Choice will at all times be given to probably the most sustainable possibility.

When you’re one of many fortunate awardees, additionally, you will be given a European Youth Card (EYCA) legitimate for one 12 months. This grants reductions for cultural visits and actions, studying, nature, sports activities, native transportation, lodging, meals and extra throughout the EU.

How will candidates for the free rail cross be chosen?

Candidates might be chosen as much as the accessible funds and ranked following the correctness of their replies.

There’s a quota of journey passes set for every nation. If a rustic has fewer functions than the quota, the remaining passes might be distributed to international locations with a better variety of functions.

If there are too many eligible candidates, a ‘first come, first served’ precept will apply – which means earlier functions might be favoured as a final resort.

Particular assist is obtainable for individuals with disabilities or well being situations.

Profitable candidates might be notified by e mail after the choice interval has resulted in Might.

They’ll then be related with an EU contractor who will maintain the journey bookings and funds.

Passes bought instantly by the chosen candidates is not going to be reimbursed.

Is something anticipated in return for the free rail passes?

If you apply for a free cross, you’re invited to grow to be a ‘DiscoverEU Ambassador’. This implies you’re inspired to report again in your journey experiences via social media or faculty and neighborhood displays.

The scheme’s app will mean you can create a personalized map of your itinerary with statistics on the variety of trains taken, variety of international locations visited and CO2 financial savings, which might be shared on social media.

Younger travellers will even have to report again in a web based survey after participating within the scheme.

On its completion, travellers will obtain a certificates of participation highlighting competencies and abilities gained from their journey expertise.