Holidaymakers still clutching their old ‘red’ passports have been issued a warning that they could face delays at the border or even refused entry, potentially throwing a spanner in their holiday plans. Those with the red or burgundy passport are particularly vulnerable as they may fall afoul of new ‘third-country nationals’ rules when entering European Union countries.
Passports issued post-2018 are valid for a strict 10 years and must be valid for at least three months beyond your intended return date. The HM Passport Office also advises that your passport’s expiry date should be at least three months after your planned departure date from the EU for most European destinations.
It’s estimated that around 200 people coming from the UK are turned away daily due to insufficient time remaining on their passport, despite it not being officially expired. This rejection usually occurs at check-in or the departure gate.
The UK government ceased issuing burgundy passports prior to 31 December 2020.
Many nations require your passport to be valid for an additional six months before you embark on international travel. This is referred to as the ‘six-month validity rule’, and those still using pre-Brexit red passports may risk their documents not having enough remaining validity as they are far more likely to be older – and the advice is to make sure you check early enough.
Since the UK’s departure from the European Union, there are two criteria your passport needs to meet when visiting Europe’s Schengen zone. It must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you enter the EU/Schengen Zone and your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure date.
Why is the 10-year passport rule significant for UK passport holders?
Some UK passports have more than a decade’s worth of validity. This is because, until September 2018, the UK Passport Office would add any remaining validity from your current passport to your new one upon renewal.
So, if your old passport had nine months left when you applied for a new one, that new passport would be valid for 10 years and nine months. However, post-Brexit, EU countries no longer recognise this additional validity.
There are 70 countries that adhere to the six-month passport rule, while another 41 enforce the three-month passport validity rule. This means travellers can enter these countries if their passport is valid for at least three more months.
If you still possess a red passport, which ceased being issued after Brexit, it’s vital to check its expiry date. Since Brexit, your passport must be less than 10 years old on the day you arrive in the EU, and its expiry date should be at least three months after your intended departure date from the EU.
You can verify the validity of your passport for your trip on GOV.UK by clicking here.
Simply search for your destination country and click on ‘entry requirements’. Remember, you’re only allowed to stay for a maximum of 90 days within a six-month period.
This is a stark contrast to when the UK was part of the European Union, where you could have stayed indefinitely.
According to some estimates based on Home Office figures up to September 2018, as many as 32 million people could potentially be caught out by EU rules. The Schengen Area also stipulates that UK travellers must have at least three months remaining before their passport expires on the day they leave the European zone.
Here are 70 countries that enforce a six-month passport rule:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Curacao, Cote D’Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana. , Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Somaliland, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
41 countries that have a three-month passport rule:
Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Iceland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein. , Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Countries with other validity rules:
Bermuda (45 days upon entry), Eritrea (three months on arrival), Hong Kong (three months on arrival), Lebanon (three months on arrival), Macau (three months on arrival), Micronesia (four months on arrival), South Africa (three months on arrival), The Maldives (three months on arrival), and Zambia (four months on arrival).