The summer holiday season is in full swing, but Britons who still hold a red passport must double-check the date of expiry before heading to the airport. It comes as hundreds of Britons are arriving at the airport only to be denied boarding as their passport is expired – even if they still appear to have time left on their passport.
Since the UK left the European Union, your passport needs to follow two key rules to visit Europe’s Schengen zone.
Firstly, it must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you enter the EU/Schengen Zone. It must also be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave.
As the old burgundy passports are among the oldest issued travel documents at the moment, Britons with these passports are most likely to be caught out. Passports issued after 2018 are valid for 10 years but must be valid for at least three months beyond your intended return date.
Some UK passports may appear to have more than 10 years of validity because until September 2018 the UK Passport Office would transfer any existing validity on your current passport over to your new passport when you renewed it.
For example, if you applied for a passport with three months left on your current one, those additional three months would be transferred onto your new passport.
However, now those three months will not be counted before travelling to a country in Europe’s Schengen Zone.
Of course, European countries are not the only destinations with specific entry requirements. Different passport and entry rules vary depending on where in the world you are going, so you must understand the requirements before jetting off.
You can check if your passport will be valid for your trip on GOV.UK. Simply search for the country you’re going to and click on ‘entry requirements’.