Sandydog2
Well-known member
It's valid until July 2026
Holidaymakers going to EU caught out by 10-year-passport rule
- Thread starter Martin_J
- Start date
Graham376
Well-known member
July 2025 for outward travel if staying 1 month.
Sandy
Well-known member
Must be a slow news day.
Since we moved to the parallel universe it has always been so.
Sandydog2
Well-known member
But that is not the rule. It would be simpler all round if it was. For passports issued up to 2018 there is up to 9 months variation in what you can do on a passport issued on the same date.
This is from the government website:
Passport validity requirements
If you are travelling to an EU country (except Ireland), or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City, you must follow the Schengen area passport requirements.Your passport must be:
- issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’)
- valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)
Stork_III
Well-known member
As far as EU is concerned your passport is valid until Nov 2025 and must have 3 months valid when you leave EU. So latest you can enter EU is Aug 2025 less what ever time you are spending in EU.
Sandydog2
Well-known member
Not if you have an extended validity date
Sandy
Well-known member
It is a bit early for the pantomime season, oh yes it is, oh no its not.
Graham376
Well-known member
The EU don't recognize the extended validity period. As far as they are concerned, the passport is only valid for 10 years from issue date and journeys plus remaining 3 months on passport must be within that period.
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
Quite definitely "olds", not news! But there is an aspect that affects airlines: not merely do they have to repatriate persons denied entry, they are subject to substantial fines for not having ensured passengers had the right to enter the destination country.
Through my own fault I had experience of this. Many years ago, in more relaxed times, I travelled to Australia. As it's an anglophone commonwealth country, it never dawned on me that I might need a visa! So I went to check in, and was asked where my visa was. What visa? I asked. Ok, we can sort it on the phone they said. A little later, they called me over full of apologies - someone with similar personal details was on a blacklist! But they had obtained permission for me to fly and be interviewed by immigration on entry to Australia. It all worked - but before carrying me, the airline had to clear my passage with the destination country.
These days, I'm pretty certain I would have been denied boarding! But equally, I think Australia now has a visa waiver system.
Through my own fault I had experience of this. Many years ago, in more relaxed times, I travelled to Australia. As it's an anglophone commonwealth country, it never dawned on me that I might need a visa! So I went to check in, and was asked where my visa was. What visa? I asked. Ok, we can sort it on the phone they said. A little later, they called me over full of apologies - someone with similar personal details was on a blacklist! But they had obtained permission for me to fly and be interviewed by immigration on entry to Australia. It all worked - but before carrying me, the airline had to clear my passage with the destination country.
These days, I'm pretty certain I would have been denied boarding! But equally, I think Australia now has a visa waiver system.
st599
Well-known member
Nope, only the UK accept the extended validity. The international agreement is that it's valid for 10 years from issue.
st599
Well-known member
They do, but it costs more than the visa, is valid for the same length as the visa and has the same entry requirements.
Sandydog2
Well-known member
I give up. Maybe you can explain to the government that they've got it wrong.
Baggywrinkle
Well-known member
The government did this so you can renew your passport before it expires (and you need to do it well before it expires because issuing a new passport takes fookin' ages due to government incompetence).
In order to get themselves out of this political pickle, which was caused by British voters getting miffed because although they had a ten year passport, they were forced by the waiting times to renew it after around 9 years and 6 months. We been conned mate!!!
Some bright spark in Whitehall decided they could solve the political conundrum by adding the remaining validity from your old passport to your new one ... but as they couldn't have an issue date in the future, Brits ended up with passports issued with an expiry date more than 10 years after the date of issue.
International agreements for passports state that a passport can only be valid for 10 years from the date of issue - so the extra time the U.K. government added for political reasons is a slight of hand which is currently catching many Brits out ... but now it's the EUs fault, or the airline, or anyone except the UK government because after all they gave you a bargain, a 10 year passport with fake extra validity added on the end.
LittleSister
Well-known member
Wrong yet again.
It's only Shengen countries - EU countries (minus Ireland), Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City that have the 10 year from date of issue limit.
Everywhere else (including USA) it's just the expiry date stated in the passport itself (which could be up to 10 years 9 months from issue).
Baggywrinkle
Well-known member
Some countries have agreements or arrangements with the United States whereby their passports are recognized as valid for return to the country concerned for six months beyond the expiration date specified in the passport. The effect of these agreements or arrangements is to extend the validity of the passport for six months beyond the expiration date appearing on the face of the document
9 FAM 403.9 (U) NIV ISSUANCES
Graham376
Well-known member
Having done lots of searching, I can't find a definitive answer and starting to wonder if boarding refusals are sometimes due to airline's misinterpretation of the rules, regarding the return date having to be within the 10 year period.
Sandydog2
Well-known member
It's very clear on the government site and all other up to date ones. There are still old articles with misinformation kicking around from 2019 to 2021. There are many example calculations given on travel sites. The two rules are completely separate. Here's an up to date article.
When do I need to renew my passport for travel to Europe?
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Baggywrinkle
Well-known member
Your link provides an excellent explanation.
... our UK government is simply incompetent, but at least they stopped the process of adding up to nine months when they realised the implications of the B-word that must not be mentioned. They are now counting on the problems slowly going away and hoping no-one remembers in future elections.
oldbloke
Active member
When flying to Spain in the New year it happened to a chap in the queue just in front of me. He was particularly upset as the Spanish had let him out of Spain a week earlier but wouldn't let him back in.
Bouba
Well-known member
Is renewing your passport every nine and a half years isn’t that onerous... is it 