With millions of Britons set to fly abroad to destinations like Mallorca for their summer holidays, His Majesty’s Passport Office issued an alert today: “Did you know that some countries require your passport to be valid for several months after your scheduled return date? Check your passport expiry date today!”
Britons heading to Mallorca or abroad in general this year have to first make sure that their passports are in order. One important issue is if travelling with the “old” burgundy passport, according to the British government which has issued a reminder to British travellers. Since the UK left the European Union in 2020, UK passport holders are now seen as ‘third-country nationals’ by EU and Schengen countries. This means the entry rules have changed. And many UK holidaymakers are still being caught out by them.
Passports issued after 2018 are valid for exactly 10 years. But if your passport was issued before September 2018, it might be valid for up to 10 years and nine months. This is because, before 2018, the passport office would add up to nine extra months from your old passport to your new one.
This means some people have passports that haven’t officially expired and are still valid for travel worldwide. The exception is travel in Europe, where passports must be less than 10 years old.
To travel to Europe and Schengen countries, your passport must be:
Issued less than 10 years before your departure date.
Valid for at least three months after your planned return date.
And remember, you can now only stay in Schengen countries for up to 90 days within a six-month period. Before Brexit, you could stay as long as you wanted. Britons are also being warned of an additional £12.50 fee if they do not get their passport sorted in time for summer holidays.