Tourists issued warning over lesser-known 'empty passport page' rule

If airport rule number one is not forgetting your passport, and number two is making sure it's actually in date, then having enough empty pages is not far behind.

Just heading through airport security is stressful enough, and having to act 'normal' at the border is as much of a task.

When the border patrol officer - who acts like an 'interrogation specialist' - looks you up and down to double check you're not on a watchlist, they are supposed to stamp your passport on one of the blank pages.

The 34 empty pages on a standard British passport are designed to be stamped with entry/exit labels when you're coming in and out of a country.

Some countries also issue visas as full-page stickers, so you may need one to two completely blank pages to avoid any entry issues.

So when it comes to holiday hotspots like Turkey, Thailand and Japan, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) state that blank pages are required for entry.

A lot of countries require at least one to two empty passport pages (BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Countries with blank page requirements for British citizens

• Thailand – at least one blank page on arrival

• Japan – a blank page for a visa stamp

• Panama – at least one blank page

• Indonesia – at least two blank pages

• Turkey – at least one blank page

• India – at least two blank pages

• Kazakhstan – at least one blank page

• Laos – at least two blank pages

• Uruguay – at least one blank page

• Vietnam – at least two blank pages

• Mauritius – at least one blank page

• Egypt – at least one blank page

• Rwanda – at least one blank page

• Tanzania – at least one blank page

• South Africa – at least two blank pages

You may be refused entry if you don't have enough empty pages (Getty Stock Images)

Countries with blank passport page requirements for US citizens

• UK - US citizens must have at least one blank page in their passport for entry

• Netherlands - two blank pages

• Italy - two blank pages

• Austria - two blank pages

• Morocco - one blank page

• Peru - one blank visa page

• Vietnam - one blank passport page in addition to visa

• Thailand - one blank page

• Turkey - one page needed for entry and exit stamps.

• Zambia - three blank pages required for entry

54-page passport option

If you're a British citizen and go abroad often, a travel expert working with Avanti Travel Insurance says it could be worth getting a passport with 54 pages.

"While it costs £13 more than the standard passport, the application process is exactly the same," Sarah Rodrigues said.

"Another lesser-known option for UK citizens is that they can legally hold two passports at the same time, if they meet certain criteria.

"This is typically granted to frequent travellers or for those needing multiple visas."

How the new EU Entry/Exit system (EES) will affect stamping

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new automated biometric system which replaces manual passport stamping.

But with full operation expected by April this year, the rollout is still in progress and some EU countries in the Schengen Area may still be using the old stamp system. So make sure you have enough empty pages.

The EES system has caused delays as long as three hours in some airports (Jaimi Joy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Countries introducing the EES system

The following 25 EU countries in the Schengen Area, and four other nations not part of the EU, will use the EES:

• Austria

• Belgium

• Bulgaria

• Croatia

• Czech Republic

• Denmark

• Estonia

• Finland

• France

• Germany

• Greece

• Hungary

• Iceland

• Italy

• Latvia

• Liechtenstein

• Lithuania

• Luxembourg

• Malta

• Netherlands

• Norway

• Poland

• Portugal

• Romania

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

Ireland and Cyprus will still use manual passport stamping.