Passports are essential when travelling abroad, but ignoring one of two rules could put an end to your holiday at the airport. People can easily be "caught out" by not checking certain details, especially if their passport hasn't been used since last summer.
Travel specialist Kate Donnelly (@Thedonnellyedit) said people need to be aware of this specific rule, as it could result in them being denied the flight they paid for. She said: "Don't be denied boarding this summer because you have failed to check two things within your passport."
Kate claims that anyone with a passport issued before a certain point in 2018 could be caught out if their passport exceeds a certain limit. When renewing the document pre-Brexit, any unused months or years were 'carried over' to new passports - and depending on how early you did it, your passport could be carrying too much validity.
She said: "We [as Brits] are treated as third-party nationals, meaning that in order to enter the EU, we must have less than 10 years' validity on our passports on the date that we are travelling, and this is what's catching people out. You don't need to look at your expiry date, you need to look at your date of issue and make sure it is no more than 10 years, or you will be denied entry if you are trying to go to the EU."
The previous rules only allowed up to nine months to be carried over between old and new passports, meaning any last-minute renewals in September 2018 with the maximum amount of carry-over would have 'validity' until June 2029. But, becuase the passport is over 10 years old, it breaks the rule in the EU of being "issued less than 10 years before your departure date".
If your passport was issued after September 2018, travellers do not need to worry about the 10-year rule. Any passports issued after that date automatically follow the non-EU rules, and all documents lose any unused time on the previous passport.
Brits are far more likely to be in breach of a second passport 'rule' requiring passports to have sufficient months of validity. In most EU countries, like Spain, France, Italy, and others, passports require at least three months of travel remaining on the date you leave the EU to return home.
Some countries, such as Thailand and Egypt, require at least six months' validity before tourists can return home. It is best to double-check the specific country you are visiting to confirm the exact rules by looking through the GOV.UK foreign travel advice pages here.
Passports must be valid for at least three months beyond the planned return date to ensure travellers can legally remain if their stay is unexpectedly extended, such as due to illness or travel disruptions. This rule prevents travellers from becoming stranded with expired documents.
People who are nearing the end of their passport's validity should renew it immediately to avoid being turned away at the airport. Standard processing time at the Passport Office is around three weeks, on average, but this could take longer if left until the peak summer months.
