UK travelers are urged to check their pre-Brexit passport expiry dates to avoid travel disruptions
London: If you’re still holding onto that old burgundy passport from before Brexit, listen up! There’s a big warning out there for UK travelers. You really need to check when your passport expires before you book any trips. Those old passports are still valid until 2025, but only if they haven’t expired yet. And here’s the kicker: many places want your passport to be valid for at least six months when you arrive.
Alvaro Iturmendi, a travel insurance expert, shared some solid advice. He said planning a holiday is super exciting, but you should always check your passport’s validity early on. You don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute, right?
It’s easy to overlook the rules, especially if you’re heading to EU countries like Spain or the Netherlands. Your passport needs to have been issued within the last 10 years from your departure date. Crazy, right? A lot of folks don’t even know this, and it could mean you get turned away at the airport or even at the border.
Since Brexit, the UK has switched to blue passports, and most people need to renew them every decade. Alvaro mentioned that if you need an emergency passport, it could set you back up to £207, depending on how quickly you need it.
And let’s be real, if you wait until the last minute, you might have to take time off work and travel to a passport office, which can be a hassle. Plus, travel insurance won’t cover any of those last-minute costs or missed flights. So, it’s really best to check your passport as soon as you start planning your getaway.
In short, always double-check that expiration date! And if you need to renew, give yourself plenty of time. You can apply for a renewal online or by post, so it’s pretty straightforward.
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