Passport holders told to take action now or risk ‘being turned away at airport’

Passport holders have been told to take action or they could risk being turned away at airports. Something could prevent you from being able to travel if you fail to follow the advice

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We all like the idea of jetting off to a hot country but, before you make any plans, you may want to take action as passport holders have been issued essential guidance. If you’re planning to travel any time soon, or have a holiday booked this summer, urgent attention is required as it could impact your trip.

The advice was recently drawn attention to by Kylie, known as englandandeverywhere on TikTok, as she often shares handy travel tips with her thousands of followers. In a recent video, she focused on passports, and issued an important warning as a certain rule could end up catching people out.

It’s not the only advice on air travel to be shared recently either. A few weeks ago, travellers were also encouraged to make another important passport check.

Kylie said: “This is your annual reminder that, if you still have a red passport and you renewed it before October 2018, you may have been issued a passport that’s valid for longer for 10 years and, if you plan on going to the EU, you may have to check that it’s actually valid for travel.

“The EU has two requirements for entry. The issue date has to be less than 10 years, but then it also needs three months from the expiry date.

“If we look at the dates in my old passport, it was issued in September 2015, and it has an expiry date of June 2026. So, if we take the three months from June 2026, that means it comes out to about March 2026, which is still a month away but, with the issue date being September 2015, I couldn’t actually enter the EU on this passport from September last year.

“Now this is only an EU requirement. A lot of the other countries around the world don’t care about the issue date, and only go from the expiry date but, even then, every country has different requirements.

“For example, Turkey want 150 days from the expiry, but places like Thailand want six months. It’s always good to get into the habit of checking Gov.uk before you go anywhere.

“It gives you all of the information as to what the passport requirements are there. Especially with the EU, with their entry systems coming up, it will give you all the information on there as to when those come into effect.”

Kylie said, no matter where you’re travelling, it’s always important to check the issue date. According to her, people could be having to check their old passports for over two more years.

She pointed out that nobody wants to go to the airport only to be “turned away”, so it’s a task worth completing. It’s vital people act now to avoid disappointment further down the line.

What you need to know

As Kylie said, there are important passport rules you need to follow when travelling in the EU. Guidance for non-EU nationals has been detailed on the Your Europe website.

Advice states: “If you are a national from a country outside the EU wishing to visit or travel within the EU, you will need a valid passport and possibly a visa. Your passport should be valid for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the EU, and it must have been issued within the last 10 years.

“This means your travel document must have been issued within the previous 10 years the day you enter the EU on condition that it is valid until the end of your stay, plus an additional three months. Children and minors must have their own passport and visa, if required.”

Advice about other EU travel rules can be found on the website. If you’re travelling by plane, you should always check the country’s passport rules before you go, as they may differ depending on where you’re going.

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