As the world adjusts to the post-Brexit reality, UK travellers are encountering unexpected hurdles in their European adventures. The latest stumbling block? The “passport 10-year rule,” which has caught many holidaymakers off guard, disrupting meticulously planned vacations and leaving them stranded at airport gates.
Previously, UK citizens enjoyed the luxury of carrying over up to nine months’ validity from an old passport to a new one. However, since Brexit, EU countries have tightened regulations, refusing entry to those with passports issued more than a decade ago. This shift has affected millions of travellers, including Nathan Barnes, a 31-year-old paramedic from Norwich, whose travel plans were abruptly halted when he attempted to board a flight to France with his fiancé to visit family.
Despite meticulous online check-in and passing through security and passport control, Barnes was denied boarding at the departure gate due to his passport’s age. “I was gutted, surprised really. We had checked in online and thought it was fine,” he lamented.
The rule applies not only to EU countries but also to other associated nations like Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland, excluding Ireland. To travel within these regions, UK passport holders must possess a passport issued within the past decade, valid for at least three months beyond their planned return date.
Complicating matters further, passports issued before September 2018 could potentially be valid for up to 10 years and nine months, thanks to a practice where the passport office added time from old passports onto new ones. This discrepancy has left many travellers unaware of their passport’s true validity until it’s too late.
Rory Boland, Travel Editor at Which?, emphasized the importance of checking passport validity well in advance of travel arrangements, cautioning against last-minute surprises that could ruin holiday plans. Despite warnings, however, the issue continues to ensnare unsuspecting travellers.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent at the Independent, estimates that “easily a couple of hundred people a day” are being turned away from flights due to passport issues, potentially amounting to over 100,000 disrupted holidays annually. While airlines provide reminders and links for passengers to verify their documents, ultimately, it falls on travellers to ensure compliance.
For those facing imminent travel with passport problems, options are limited. Emergency appointments may offer a slim chance of resolving the issue in time, but for many, the only recourse is to forfeit their holiday plans. Those turned away at the airport find themselves without recourse for refunds, underscoring the importance of proactive passport management.