Little known passport rule that will stop you from travelling anywhere in the world
One UK reality star has recently fallen foul of the rule
'Where are the passports? Have you got the passports? All of them?'
A classic line heard a million and one times in every airport in every country around the world, to the point where no amount of checking will really calm the anxiety of misplacing the most important piece of documentation in making your holiday a reality.
But simply having it is not enough. Just look at the row erupting between Geordie Shore's Vicky Pattison and easyJet.
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There are all manner of rules when it comes to heading overseas, with the DVLA stressing the importance of making sure you have the right documentation in place to avoid being arrested.
Spain also has a rather recent '£97 rule' that'll be of major interest to millions of Brits heading there this summer.
Well, the rule Pattison fell foul of concerned her official travel document to leave the country, her British passport.
What happened with the reality TV star?
Pattison was heading overseas to visit the wedding venue where she is going to the tie the knot with The Only Way Is Essex star Ercan Ramadan.
But she said easyJet, who she was flying with from Newcastle Airport, 'destroyed her dreams' by not letting her board the flight.
This was after organising for her wedding planner, assistant, and florist to all fly out for the key visit.
"All the wasted money, how hard it was for me to get the time off, how excited we were, how I've wasted everyone's time... I'm just really sad I think," she said on Instagram.
Why didn't easyJet let her board?
It came down to the quality of her passport, which saw the reality TV star turned away at the gate.
Pattison said: "This is what was wrong with my passport for everyone asking.
"In fairness, I don't know if that is really bad or not. I've just not had anyone ever tell me it was before."
A spokesperson for easyJet said: "We are sorry for Ms Pattison’s experience and the inconvenience caused.
"At easyJet, we work closely with the authorities and comply with their guidance to ensure the safety and security of all passengers and staff.
"As such, we cannot allow any passenger to travel on their planned flight with documentation damaged to such a degree that its authenticity is brought into question. It is the passenger’s responsibility to have suitable documentation for travel."
What passport rule was broken?
It all came down to the quality of her passport, which had been damaged in one corner by her dog.
The law states that you won't be allowed to board a plane if your passport is damaged to a degree where its authenticity would be called in to question.
The following eight points are considered when assessing a damaged passport, according to mybritishpassport.com:
- your personal details cannot be read easily or at all
- the laminate portion on your name page has lifted so that it has the potential for a substitute photo to be inserted
- there are signs of fading or discolouration on the passport’s name page
- your passport is stained on any of its pages (e.g.. it has ink, makeup or chemical spills)
- there are missing, torn, defaced or detached pages
- the chip on the passport can be seen on the back cover
- the passport chip shows signs of damage; and
- any other damage that may prevent the passport from being a legible form of identification.
Getting a new passport when yours is damaged
You have to renew, sadly.
But before renewing, HM Passport Office has to review every damaged passport for signs of tampering.
This can mean the time you're waiting for a new passport could be longer, depending on demand.
HM Passport Office says: "Before we issue a replacement passport, we need to understand how the damage occurred.
"On some passports, how it happened will be obvious and there will be no need to contact the customer, in others the customer must tell us what happened to their passport.
"If we receive an application to renew a passport and we discover it is damaged, you must check if another colleague has already given an explanation."
Topics: Easyjet, Holiday, Travel, UK News, World News, Celebrity
Tom Earnshaw