Brits urged to check specific passport detail before holiday or risk being turned away
There are a huge amount of things you need to be aware of before going on holiday and now some Brits have been warned that failing to check one thing could see them turned away.
Although some people love to show up to the airport care-free just a few minutes before boarding opens, most sensible folks have everything packed and ready to go at 6am for a 6pm flight.
While some airports have threatened to lose your luggage if it's a certain colour and others look set to make things a lot easier with passport scanners, those darned little books could still cause you some problems this summer.
What are passport validity rules?
There are plenty of countries that adhere to strict passport validity rules, which essentially states that your passport must be valid for a certain time when you're visiting that country.
Advert
The Post Office say: "Some countries might ask that your passport's valid for your whole time away and even a bit longer, sometimes up to six months.
"If you don't check these rules, you could run into problems, like not being able to board your flight or being denied entry when you land."
What countries implement the passport validity rules?
While you should already steer clear of some countries due to the UK government's do not travel list, there are other more popular holiday destinations that you'll want to avoid if your passport is nearing its expiry date, even if they do have cheap beer and sunny weather.
If Donald Trump's anti-immigration stance wasn't already enough to put you off a visit to the US, then you might be unhappy to hear that they, along with New Zealand and Australia, impose these rules.
Most of Europe will also require your passport to be valid for a certain time, as well as less than 10 years old.
How long do you need your passport to be valid for?
Even if your passport is valid when you arrive, it might not be by the time you leave, which is when you could run into some issues.
The Post Office clarifies: "Some countries might ask that your passport's valid for your whole time away and even a bit longer, sometimes up to six months."
Most of Europe and New Zealand requires passports to be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure date. In Australia it is six, while it is also recommended that you have an extra six months in the US.
What will happen if your passport isn’t valid?
The Post Office adds: "If you don't check these rules, you could run into problems, like not being able to board your flight or being denied entry when you land."
But your holiday being ruined might be the best case scenario if your passport expires while travelling in the US, considering one Brit was detained there earlier this year.
Topics: Travel
James Moorhouse