A total of 254,316 holidaymakers’ passports do not comply with the post-Brexit rules for visiting European Union countries, including Spain and the Canary Islands, based on figures from the HM Passport Office in the UK. A new report shows that as of May 26th this year, this is the number of passport holders with a valid expiration date of over ten years from the date of issue, which is something that catches a lot of travellers out without realising.
The data has come to light as part of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Passport Office conducted by Co-op Insurance, which says that a quarter-of-a-million passengers holding valid passports might be subject to difficulties this summer as a result of current EU rules.
These rules mean that all British passport holders attempting to reach the EU’s borderless area of the Schengen will not be eligible to do so if their passport was issued over ten years ago, and that British passports cannot be more than ten years old when used to reach any of the bloc’s countries since Britain officially left the European Union.
Following the rules mentioned above, all persons planning to enter the EU with a British passport must ensure that it is valid. The majority of people assume that an adult passport lasts for ten years; however, extra months may have been added to the expiry date if the previous passport was renewed before it expired, which is where the confusion comes from.
The report from Co-op Insurance noted that a total of 77% of travel insurance policies since the beginning of this year have been for destinations located in EU countries, with a surge of 32% of policies sold, compared to figures from the previous year.
“For many years, travellers renewing their passport before the previous one expired meant they were able to carry over any remaining time left. Before September 2018, a maximum of nine months could be added to the replacement’s 10-year length, meaning passports could be valid for as long as ten years and nine months. But this is no longer a benefit”, said Graham Ward-Lush, the head of travel at Co-op Insurance.
He explained that many people look at their passport thinking that it doesn’t expire until after their return, believing that all is well. However, he urged all passengers to check the date of issuance as well. Ward-Lush stressed that if the passport is more than ten years old on the day of entry, their entry to any EU country will be denied.
He added that the Co-op wants to help people all over Britain to have their dream holidays this summer and make sure that they aren’t stranded at home as a result of invalid travel documentation.
