when did uk leave eu

The United Kingdom formally left the European Union on 31 January 2020 at 23:00 UK time (GMT).

Quick Scoop: Key Facts

• Legal exit moment: 23:00 GMT, 31 January 2020, when EU membership ended after 47 years.

• EU perspective: This corresponds to 00:00 on 1 February 2020 in Brussels (Central European Time).

• “Exit day” in UK law: Defined as 23:00 on 31 January 2020 in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act, after several extensions from earlier planned dates in 2019.

• Transition period: Although the UK had legally left, a transition period kept most EU rules in place until 31 December 2020.

A Bit of Timeline

• 23 June 2016: UK votes to leave the EU in a referendum (51.9% Leave, 48.1% Remain).

• 29 March 2017: UK formally triggers Article 50, starting the withdrawal process.

• 2019: Multiple delays move the planned exit from March to April, then to October, and finally to 31 January 2020.

• 23–29 January 2020: UK and European Parliaments ratify the Withdrawal Agreement.

• 31 January 2020: UK leaves the EU at 23:00 GMT; transition period begins.

Why You See Different Dates

People sometimes mention different moments when talking about “when did UK leave EU”:

• Legal exit from the EU: 31 January 2020, 23:00 GMT (the core answer).

• Start of real separation in daily life (trade, borders, etc.): 1 January 2021, when the transition period ended and the new relationship took full effect.

So if you just need the date, it’s 31 January 2020 ; if someone talks about when Brexit was “felt” in practice, they may mean the end of 2020, when the transition ended.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.