Ahead of the busy summer season for European departures, holidaymakers are being reminded of the new post-Brexit passport rules so they can check that their passport will be valid for their travel dates.
Now that the UK is no longer in the European Union, British passport holders travelling to countries in the EU (except Ireland), as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City, are now subject to two main passport validity requirements, which are independent of each other.
Holidaymakers must have a passport that:
- Was issued less than 10 years before the date they enter the country
- Is valid for at least three months after the day they plan to leave
Holidaymakers are being encouraged to make sure they check both the date of issue and the date of expiry of their passport, ahead of their travel dates to ensure it will be valid.
ABTA has an online advice page (abta.com/passports) which includes the following example of the rules in practice: a passenger entering the EU on 21 July 2023 and returning to the UK on 4 August 2023 would need to have a passport that was issued less than 10 years before 21 July 2023 and is valid for at least three months after 4 August 2023.
The association explains that checking the date of issue is particularly important for any holidaymakers who had extra months added to their current passport when they last renewed, which means their passports could be up to 10 years and nine months old. These holidaymakers need to take extra care that their passport meets the requirement of being less than 10 years old when they enter the EU.
Graeme Buck, Director of Communications at ABTA – The Travel Association said: “The new post-Brexit passport validity rules have the potential to catch some holidaymakers out.”
