Many of us are now booking holidays after two years of being unable to head abroad but it's not been smooth sailing for many holiday makers. Travel has changed and while there may be no Covid restrictions in place in the UK, there are many important things to remember like passport rules.
It's been days of chaos at airports up and down the country, including Yorkshire's Leeds Bradford Airport. Wednesday (April 6) saw more than 100 scheduled flights from the UK cancelled. The airline industry has suffered a surge of coronavirus-related illness and a shortage of staff after pandemic job cuts. Problems are only set to worsen as the Easter Holidays arrive and airports become even busier.
However, these aren't the only obstacles that may be in your way. Many are finding that since they've not used their passport in years, they're suddenly close to the expiry date and the Passport Office is now suffering a ten week backlog. Tweeting on Monday (April 4), the Passport Office said: ""Is your passport due to expire? You'll need to allow up to 10 weeks to process your passport application when applying from the UK." According to the ABTA, if you have a British passport, you will need to have at least three months left on your passport and your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years. How much time you need on your passport depends on the country you’re visiting, and also who you are flying with.
Read more: Why airport Easter travel chaos could be even worse this weekend
How long should I have left on my passport?
It can be confusing and quite alarming as it could mean that you may be denied entry into the country you're visiting. The Post Office has told customers: While most countries such as Australia, Canada and the USA, just need your passport to be valid for the length of your stay, other countries such as China, Thailand, Egypt and Turkey need at least six months. You need to have at least six months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland).
"In general, many countries that require a visa to enter will require at least six months validity on your passport when entering the country, so make sure you find out whether your passport has long enough before it expires before you travel."
Passport rules for Jet2 and Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair states that you need a valid passport to travel anywhere in the world. For travel outside the EEA (European Economic Area), the passport must be valid for the period of the intended stay, except for the below countries:
- For travel to Jordan, the passport must be valid for six months beyond the period of the intended stay.
- For travel to Turkey, the passport must be valid for six months from the date of entry.
- For travel to Montenegro, the passport must be valid for at least three months.
- For travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the passport must be valid for at least three months.
All non-EU passport holders travelling into a Schengen member country must make sure that their passport is valid for at least three months from the date they will leave the Schengen member country, unless the person has a Schengen-issued residence permit or long-term visa.
Jet2
Jet2 states on its websites: As the UK’s no longer part of the EU, to travel, your passport needs to have at least six months left on it and be less than ten years old. Check if yours is valid on the government's travel advice here.
Please note, you’ll need enough space in your passport for it to be stamped when you go through border control overseas.
All countries will have their own rules concerning passport validity and expiration rules. As the Liverpool Echo lists, here’s some of the most common ones:
Australia
Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay.
Barbados
Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay.
Canada
Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay, but if you have less than six months validity it may take longer to pass through immigration control.
China
Your passport should have at least six months validity.
Egypt
Your passport should have at least six months validity.
European Union
For most European countries, HM Passport Office recommend that on the day you travel you have at least three months left on your passport. Those countries are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
India
Your passport must be machine readable, with two blank pages for your visa and valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of entry into India.
Japan
Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay.
Mexico
Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay.
New Zealand
Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of one month from the date of exit.
Singapore
Your passport should have at least six months validity.
South Africa
Rules state that your passport should be valid for at least 30 days from the date of exit, but it’s recommended that you have at least six months on your passport before it expires. Your passport should also have at least two blank pages when you enter or leave South Africa.
Thailand
Your passport should have at least six months validity.
Turkey
Your passport should have at least six months validity.
USA
Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay. However, your passport must be a biometric ePassport with the silver camera symbol on the front. There are also a number of other rules concerning entry to the USA, which you should check before travelling.
