Leading airlines have issued important updates to their travel information after confusion has led to passengers being turned away from flights. The updates include information from Tui, Jet2, Ryanair and easyJet.
Passport rules were tightened following Brexit and those traveling to Europe are being urged to check the expiry date on their passports as British passport holders traveling to the EU are now treated as non-EU nationals. Different rules, therefore apply to those we've enjoyed in the past.
Your passport must be valid for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the UK for your trip and be issued within the previous 10 year. Travellers have been caught out recently due to an old UK passport policy.
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Previous, any 'unused' time on an old passport could be transferred to a new one. This meant some passports were valid, for instance, for up to 10 years and 9 months.
So, what do you need to know? First of all check the rules. Not only with the UK Government website but also with your individual airline as they might differ or include additional restrictions. Current passport rules for some of the most popular airlines are listed below.
You should check the issue date of your passport, not the expiry date and ensure it was issued no more than nine years and nine months before the end of your holiday. The passport office is currently warning of a 10-week delay on issuing passports, so if you do need to renew or apply for your first passport, you should do so without delay.
Don't forget that some countries still have Covid related rules for entry. Make sure you check requirement before you travel.
Jet2
Jet2 explained to its customers that the rule changes following the UK departure from the European Union has led to the passport changes. It said: "Most EU countries now require UK passports to be less than ten years old and still be valid for at least three months at the time you're due to leave their country."
The airline added: "Just so you know, if you renewed your passport before your previous passport expired, any extra months that may have been added to your new passport’s expiry date, making it valid for more than a ten year period, may not count.
"For example, a passport with an issue date of 1 January 2012 and an expiry date of 31 October 2022 isn’t valid for beyond 1 January 2022, ten years from its original issue."
Again the advice was to check the date of issue on your passport to work out whether it meets this criteria and make sure your passport is valid for travel here.
Tui
Tui stresses that British Citizens must hold a valid 10-year passport for travel and that passports are valid for travel to any EU country up to and including the passport expiry date. It adds that the government recommends that, on the day you travel, you have at least 6 months left on your passport.
According to the airline's website, to travel to Europe, you must have a minimum of three months left on your passport from the day you’re planning to travel home. It warns: "If your passport doesn’t meet these requirements, you may not be able to travel. Some countries outside of the EU require a British passport to have a certain period of validity left on it, such as 6 months, or blank pages."
EasyJet
According to easyJet, travellers should always check the government website to ensure they are completely up to date with the current travel guidance. On it's website, it says: "Following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, you may need to take extra steps when travelling to a European destination.
"You should follow UK government travel advice for your destination and it’s vital you visit the government website before you travel for the latest information on new requirements, which can include your passport being valid for at least three or six months from your departure date and it being less than ten years old.
"You should check your passport validity online on the government’s dedicated page as you might need to renew it earlier than planned. It’s your responsibility to ensure you meet the criteria for your destination. If you fail to comply with the new requirements this will likely result in you being unable to travel on your holiday, or being denied entry on arrival in your destination.
Ryanair
When it comes to EU passport holders, the Ryanair website states: "From 1st October 2021, nationals of the EEA/EU or Switzerland travelling to the United Kingdom must be in possession of a valid passport, as National ID cards issued by the EEA/EU and Switzerland are no longer acceptable to enter the UK."
If you are travelling further afield, further rules should be investigate. For instance, it should also be noted that some popular non-European countries such as India insist on passports being machine-readable with two blank pages for the visa and valid for a minimum of 180 days a the time of entry into the country.
