Brits who still hold a red passport have been issued a warning to check two key things ahead of holiday season.
We're in February now, which means we're a month closer to the heat of summer. You may have a holiday booked already with leave boxed off, or maybe you're the spontaneous type that does things based on your gut.
Either way, there are always logistics to sort out when travelling to another country, like checking hotels, booking transport or even visa requirements.
There is one logistical aspect that you must be aware of, and if you are still a red British passport holder, listen up!
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A large number of countries have a rule about your passport before entering, which may impact those who haven't got the new blue British passports that were introduced post-Brexit.
Red passport holders would have theirs issued prior to Brexit, which leaves them at risk of violating the 'six-month validity rule'.
But what is that?
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A number of countries require your passport to be valid for another six months before you leave for travel, so older passport holders are at risk of their documents not having long enough left.
There are actually 70 countries that follow this six-month passport rule, with 41 countries following a more laid-back three-month passport validity rule according to VisaGuide.World.
So by applying the same rules, your passport would need at least three more months of validity to enter these countries.
This means that it is crucial for red passport holders to check the expiry date of their document to ensure they aren't turned away at any borders.
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Since Brexit, your passport must also be less than 10 years old upon arrival.
Passports are widely believed to only last 10 years, but if yours was issued before 1 October 2018, there might have been extra months added to its expiry date if your old passport was renewed well before its expiry.
It's a bit complicated, but it's worth a check to ensure you don't have any trouble on holiday.
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The good news is you can easily check if your passport will be valid for any trip on the GOV.UK website, just by selecting a country and checking entry requirements.
Some popular holiday destinations that have the six-month rule are; Egypt, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the UAE.
A few other destinations that have a three-month rule are; France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
There are some destinations that have their own rules upon arrival though, such as Hong Kong and The Maldives.
Featured Image Credit: Flickr