Passport rule still catching out Brits that you should check now before the summer

While the change to passports came several years ago, there’s one check that many Brits still aren’t making, which could mean they’re denied boarding when they’re planning to jet off on their summer holiday

With the sixth anniversary of Brexit at the end of the month, most Brits have got used to the changes when they travel, and many will be using their blue passports to take a holiday somewhere sunny this summer.

However, there’s one passport rule that continues to catch out Brits time and time again, and every summer there are reports of holidaymakers having their trips delayed or cancelled due to not being allowed to board the plane – and it’s not just about the expiry date.

Checking your passport now means you can avoid a last-minute rush to the passport office days before your holiday, and still have plenty of time to rectify the issue before travelling to the airport.

Pre-Brexit, if you sent your passport off for renewal and it still had some remaining validity, up to nine months could be transferred to your new passport. This meant some Brits would have adult passports valid for ten years and nine months. At the time, the passport could be used for the entire duration of its validity when travelling in the EU.

But since Brexit, a new rule means that Brits must have passports issued less than 10 years before the date they entered the country. So, if you’re on an old passport, it may still be valid for the time of travel, but could push you past the 10 year rule.

It’s also worth remembering that passports need to be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to fly back from EU countries, while some non-EU destinations will ask for six months left. Make sure you check your passports validity based on the date you plan to return to the UK, not your departure date.

The reason why it’s best to check your passport now is that it’s much quicker to sort out a passport renewal this time of year rather than in the peak summer months.

According to X account @passportwaiting, which tracks the average time a passport application takes to process, the current time to process a renewal for an adult passport is just under nine days. This is based on data provided by people who’ve recently renewed or applied for their first passport.

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In the past, there have been delays at the Passport Office, which have led to Brits waiting weeks for their travel documents to come through. In 2022, a surge of applicants looking to renew their passports for post-COVID travel faced delays of up to 10 weeks, leading to cancelled holidays and travel chaos.

For an adult passport, renewing online costs £94.50, or £107 if you want to apply using a paper form. However, if you need a passport at the last minute, the price goes up to £178 for a fast track one week renewal, or a whopping £222 to use the one day premium service. Again, this shows it’s sensible to sort out any passport issues as early as possible so you aren’t out of pocket.

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