The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom has updated its travel advice for the European Union countries and has recommended that all Brits make sure to check the validity of their passport before reaching any European holiday destinations.
In order not to avoid disappointment, the UK’s Foreign Office has advised everyone to check two key dates – the issue date and the expiry date – on their passport, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Additionally, in its updated advice, the Foreign Office said that the passport of UK nationals planning to travel to the EU must be issued less than ten years before the date of entry in the EU country and, at the same time, emphasised that the passport must be valid for at least three months after the day they plan to leave.
Apart from the above-mentioned, the Foreign Office explained that if a passport was issued before October 1, 2018, additional months may have been added to its expiry date. Nonetheless, everyone is still recommended to contact the embassy of the country they plan on visiting if they are not sure that their passport does not meet the requirements.
“Contact the embassy of the country you are visiting if you think that your passport does not meet both these requirements. Renew your passport if you need to,” the statement of UK’s Foreign Office reads.
Moreover, the Foreign Office has reminded Brits once again to check whether their passport has been stamped when they enter or exit the Schengen zone.
Citizens of the UK are advised to do so as border guards use passport stamps to check if they are complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short-term stays.
“If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit,” the Foreign Office stressed.
Those whose passport has not been stamped can show evidence of when and where they entered or exited the Schengen Area and ask the border guards to add this information to their passport. In such cases, authorities may accept boarding passes and tickets as evidence.
Data show that Spain, France, Italy, and Greece have been the most popular destinations for travellers from the United Kingdom in the last 12 months. This suggests that Brits mainly chose destinations with warmer climates where they could spend their beach holidays.