Travel expert Simon Calder has urged anyone with a summer holiday booked to check their passport validity before travelling to the EU
Double check before you fly(Image: Chris Cook via Getty Images)
Travel expert Simon Calder has issued a stark warning to anyone planning to head abroad this June, July and August. Countless Britons are eagerly counting down the days to their summer getaways during the peak travel season.
Yet Simon has urged everybody to carry out a crucial check before setting off, in order to avoid “wrecked holidays”. He explained that “thousands upon thousands” of travellers have already been caught out and missed their long-awaited breaks.
He took part in a discussion on BBC Radio 2, where one holidaymaker revealed he had been turned away at the boarding gate before his flight.
James Luton had been due to fly to Portugal last week to celebrate his 50th birthday, but was denied boarding at the airport gate because his passport had been issued more than 10 years ago — despite not having expired.
Britons travelling to EU or Schengen area destinations cannot hold passports that are older than 10 years upon arrival at their holiday destination. The passport must also remain valid for a minimum of three months beyond the date you intend to return home.
Simon appeared on the programme to implore everyone with holidays booked to check their passports before it’s too late. He said: “Unfortunately, he [James] is just one of thousands upon thousands of people who have fallen foul of this.
“As we speak, there will be people who have headed to the airport, and the same thing happened to them. It is just absolutely miserable.”
Simon urged: “You must remember, if you are going to the EU apart from Ireland, you cannot have a passport older than 10 years on the day you enter. It is the only part of the world that cares about when your passport is issued.
“Everywhere else only cares about the expiry date. Please, if you are going away in June, July and August please check that your passport is going to comply.
“Has it had its 10th birthday on the day you plan to go away, and has it got at least three months left on the date you plan to leave? That way, we can hopefully avoid too many more wrecked holidays.”
Prior to 2018, passports could stay valid for up to 10 years and nine months.
This was due to unused months from old passports being transferred to new ones, but this practice was scrapped in 2018.
The issue predominantly impacts those with burgundy passports, since anyone holding a blue passport obtained it in 2020 or afterwards.
It’s still advisable to verify children’s blue passports, as these are usually only valid for five years.