Brits have been warned to double check these key details before booking any holidays — or face having their summer plans derailed.
After surviving another long and gruelling winter, us Brits can finally rejoice over the fact that another summertime finally beckons. The clocks have moved forward, the sun is (mostly) shining and many of us are planning which beachside destination to jet off to.
However, before you decide on a holiday, it might be worth digging out your passport and making a couple of important checks. Otherwise you risk being confined to the British Isles all summer.
How do I check if my passport is valid before travel?
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In order to make it past the departure gates and onto your flight, your passport needs to be less than 10 years old and have anywhere between three and six months of validity from your return date.
The 10-year rule may sound obvious to travellers, as all UK adult passports are valid for a decade, but in the long forgotten pre-Brexit era some passports could end up with strange dates such as '10 years and six months' validity.
This is because travellers who renewed their passport before their expiry date would get however many months remaining on their old passport 'added on' to the new one.
The above rule applies to all passports issued before September 2018, aka burgundy passports, which won't be completely phased out until 2028.
An easy way to check your passport's validity is to add 10 years onto the issue date - for example, if your passport was issued on 15 April 2015, it'll expire on 15 April 2025 - instead of going off the expiry date.
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Another key detail is making sure your date of return is within three to six months of your passport's expiry date, as this is a requirement for entering various foreign countries.
For travellers heading to EU or Schengen Zone countries, your passport needs to be valid for three months after your day of exit.
This applies to the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Countries which require a six month validity on your passport: Algeria, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timo, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
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UK abroad recommends at least six months as a general rule of thumb to avoid any issues while travelling.
How to renew a UK passport
Renewing a UK passport is fairly straightforward, with the easiest and cheapest way being on the GOV.UK website.
An adult passport currently costs £88.50, however this will rise to £94.50 on 10 April. So if you're in need of a new passport, get applying.
Brenna Cooper