BRITS are being left out of pocket to the tune of hundreds of pounds, while also having to travel hundreds of miles, because of a simple passport mistake.
People assume that their passports are valid because they are yet to reach the expiry date, but that’s sadly not always the case.
For trips to Europe, British passports need to have been issued less than ten years before the date of arrival at the holidaymaker’s destination.
It also must have at least three months left before its expiry on the day the holidaymaker intends to return home.
These rules were brought in back in 2018, but have still gone under the radar for several people, who have had to shell out hundreds of pounds and make lengthy journeys for emergency passport replacements.
One such person was 57-year-old Carolyn Pellatt from Southampton, who had to make a 1,000-mile round trip on her birthday in order to get a passport in time for her holiday.
Carolyn only checked her passport’s validity five days before she was due to travel, and realised that it was older then 10 years, meaning she would not have been able to travel on it.
Things got worse for her when she then couldn’t get an emergency appointment anywhere other than Glasgow to renew her documents.
She told Wales Online: “I had to miss a day of work and spend £200 on train travel, not to mention the cost of an emergency passport.
“While I’m grateful that I thought to check before heading on my holiday, I wish the rules were clearer so others like me didn’t have to spend their birthday travelling cross-country.”
There are plenty of others like Carolyn who aren’t sure of the rules and end up having to make last minute dashes across country to get themselves a new valid passport at late notice.
In fact, research by Confused.com has shown the average distance travelled by people needing an emergency passport appointment was 140 miles, with an average cost of £300.
Other research has shown that as many as 100,000 Brits face being turned away at the airport and missing their holidays because of an invalid passport.
Earlier this summer, The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot revealed exactly what people need to know about their passports before travelling.
During a live question and answers session, she was asked about current passport rules by lots of confused people, not wanting to pay for an emergency appointment at late notice.
She advised: “First, check the date your passport was issued. In order to travel to the EU, all passports must be no more than 10 years old on the day you arrive in your European destination.
Everything you need to know about passports
“Then check your passport expiry date. You’ll need at least three months on your passport on the day you head back to the UK.”
Lisa also warned that these rules only applied for holidays to Europe.
For others travelling further afield, there could be other requirements that they will need to adhere to.
Lisa continued: “Of course, these rules only apply to European destination.
“Make sure you check the requirements of any country you are planning to visit as they could require you to have more than three months on your passport.”
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot has explained exactly what Brits need to know.
“Travellers used to be able to roll over up to nine unused months from their old passport onto a new one.
“But post-Brexit, anyone wanting to travel to the EU can no longer rely on those extra months.
“In order to travel to the EU, all passports must be no more than 10 years old on the day you arrive in your European destination.
“And you’ll need at least three months on your passport on the day you head back to the UK.
“Figures have shown up to 100,000 holidaymakers a year face being turned away at airports if their passport is more than 10 years old.
“The 10-year rule only applies to countries in the European Union but every country may have different rules on what is accepted – some countries like South Africa, for example, insist you have at least six months left on your passport when you travel and a full clear page.”
Meanwhile, these other passport mistakes could also ruin your holiday if you don’t know about them.
And this woman was forced to miss four days of her Greece holiday after her passport error.
