Travelling is more and more complicated and expensive due to the paperwork involved. Britons heading to Mallorca or abroad in general this year have to first make sure that thier 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.
The Post Office explains that 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. And, on top of all that, when booking accommodation, or hiring a car in Mallorca, people are now required by law to provide more information than before. All information collected will be passed onto the Spanish Ministry of Interior in order to improve the country's national security.
Britons will now need to provide the following data:
Gender
Nationality
Date of birth
Home address
Landline phone number
Mobile phone number
Payment details and method
Relationship to any children in the travelling party under the age of 14.