A travel expert has shared the six things Brits need to check their passports for before booking a holiday.
There’s simply nothing worse than planning a holiday and spending months looking forward to it, only to find yourself turned away at the airport due to an issue with your passport.
Hoping to make sure you don’t find yourself disappointed and out of pocket is Dawn Morwood, travel expert at Cheap Deals Away UK, who has provided a list of simple checks for travellers (via The Mirror).
You don’t want to get turned away at the airport (Getty Stock Images)
Check your expiry date
Now when you get your passport you may think this means you’re sorted to travel for the next decade, unfortunately this is not the case.
Perhaps one of the most annoying things about entry requirements is that pretty much every country will require anywhere from three to six months left on your passport, otherwise you can’t enter.
It’s a rule which doesn’t really make much sense, but we have no option but to follow it. So if you know your passport is up for renewal, be sure to double check the dates.
Passport renewal
So you’ve just dug out your passport and realised you only have six months left and were planning on travelling to somewhere like Indonesia, Bahrain or Thailand, what now?
Morwood urges travellers to renew their documents as soon as possible in order to avoid any stressful waits.
“The UK government advises you to allow three weeks for your passport to be renewed. However, some people wait much longer, and others less than three! It really is a lottery,” she said.
Is this your passport? Might be time to renew (Huw Fairclough/Getty Images)
Check you have the correct passport information
Again this might sound like an obvious one, but there would be nothing more embarrassing than finding yourself delaying departure, or even missing a flight, because you have the wrong name or passport number on your boarding pass.
Blank pages
This one isn’t too much of a concern if you only take one of two holidays a year, but make sure you have enough blank space for entry or visa stamps.
Morwood adds that countries such as South Africa, Russia, and China will require two blank pages upon arrival, with passengers at risk of being denied entry if they don’t have space.
UK nationals can also get longer 54-page frequent traveller passports if they pay an additional £12 when applying.
Entry stamps
Rules on requirements for entry and exit stamps vary from country to country, however if you’re leaving a country and don’t have the correct stamps you could find yourself being accused of overstaying or entering illegally.
However stamping in certain regions (such as the EU Schengen Area) is currently set to be phased out next month.
Frequent travellers should also check how much space they have (Getty Stock Images)
Check for passport expiry mid trip
“Should your passport expire mid-trip, returning home could become problematic,” Dawn said.
“Always, always check you have enough validity for the entire trip.”