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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
National
Lottie Gibbons & Matthew Bunn

Little-known passport rule could stop you travelling to Europe

Millions of Brits will be planning for an overseas holiday this year, with a variety of European destinations expected to see an influx of people from the UK. But holidaymakers are being warned to be aware of current passport rules.

Travellers must follow Schengen area passport requirements if travelling to an EU country (with the exception of Ireland), Liverpool Echo reports. The newspaper states these rules also extend to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City.

Passports should be valid for at least three months after the day they plan to leave, but, it also must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country. Many travellers have been caught out because they think their passports are valid because they are not due to expire for some time. However, if you turn up at an airport with an invalid passport you may be denied entry to EU countries.

You can check your issue date in your passport. It will be under 'date of issue'. If your passport was issued before October 1, 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date, but these months will not be valid for people entering the EU.

It's also worth checking on the Foreign Office's website to making sure you meet the entry requirements of the destination country before booking your trip.

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