Holiday warning to anyone with passport to make crucial check NOW – even if it’s in date.. check if you can still travel
A WARNING has been issued to anyone with a passport to make a crucial check before travelling.
If you’re jetting off abroad this year, its crucial to double check if your passport is more than 10 years old or in its last six months before expiring.
This comes as holiday-goers continue to be caught out as countries have a variety of rules for how long you need.
After Britain left the European Union in 2016, this now includes most EU countries too.
If travelling to the EU, it’s crucial that your passport is less than 10 year old and valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave to avoid disaster.
Those with a burgundy passport should also beware as it may be older than 10 years.
This is because before 2018 any time left on your passport was added to your new passport’s validity.
So while it may have plenty of time left, it will fall foul of the 10-year rule.
One horror story was emailed to consumer website Money Saving Expert where Abigail was due to fly to Lisbon for her best friend’s hen do with seven months left on her passport.
She said: “Just as I’m about to get on the plane maybe 50m away, the crew looked at my passport and said I was unable to fly due to an expired passport.
“I had NO IDEA about the 10 year expiry and wasn’t allowed to fly to Lisbon.”
Another nightmare story saw a four year old girl refused entry to Turkey with less than two months left on her passport.
Travellers should also be aware of the requirements for non-EU countries.
For countries such as Australia, Canada or the US, the passport must be valid for the whole duration of your stay.
Other countries such as Thailand require your passport be valid for at least six months from the day you enter.
If you do find you need a new passport, it’s cheapest to apply online on the GOV.UK website.
Online passport renewals will cost UK adults, aged 16 or older, £88.50 and if you need to fast track the process to make your holiday, you’ll be paying a whopping £166.50.
For children under 16, the price comes in at £57.50.
If you’re planning on jetting off this year, make sure you leave enough time to get it renewed with the Passport Office advising it will take up to three weeks for a replacement.
There can often be a rush of renewals around busy times of the year such as the months before the school summer holidays and Christmas.
You can also apply by paper at the Post Office but this will come at a higher price.