British passport holders are being warned to check the expiry date of their passports to avoid post-Brexit havoc at the airport.

UK passport-holders used to be able to carry nine months from a previous passport forward onto a new one, but due to Brexit, that is no longer the case (and hasn’t been since September 2018).

What’s triggered this?

Reports earlier this week suggested millions of people are at risk of falling victim to the “10-year passport rule”.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday 27th March, Simon Calder, travel expert at The Independent warned, “It’s complicated, but unfortunately so many people are falling foul of this – a couple hundred a day.”

The 10-year passport rule

What is this rule you ask? Well, while you used to be able to carry nine months of your passport onto a new one, this is no longer the case. The EU does not recognise these extra months if a passport is older than 10 years on the date you want to enter the EU.

On top of that, you must also have at least three months’ validity on your passport beyond the date you plan to leave the EU’s Schengen zone.

For example, if you plan to enter the EU on April 1 and leave on April 15, your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before April 1 and be valid until at least June 15, (three months after April 5).

Chris Nye, senior editor at Your Overseas Home said, “This is especially important news for anyone with viewing trip plans. The last thing you want is to be denied boarding on your trip to find the property of your dreams.”

This rule has caught many British travellers who were unaware of this rule.

Nathan Barnes, from Norwich, is one of the latest to be caught in the passport plunder. The 31-year-old paramedic was denied boarding on a flight to Limoges in France.

Speaking to the BBC, he said, ‘My passport has been issued more than 10 years previously. They were very matter-of-fact about it, they just said, “Sorry, you can’t board, off you pop”.’

Check your passport expiry date!

How to avoid passport plunders

If your passport was issued between March 2014 and September 2018, you could be affected:

• If it was issued over 10 years ago, it is invalid for travel to EU countries including Switzerland, Norway, Lichenstein and Iceland, but not Ireland
• If you visit the above countries, you must have a valid passport issued less than 10 years before your departure date.
• If your passport is invalid, you can try and book an emergency appointment online at your nearest passport office
• The average turn-around for passport renewal in the UK is three weeks, but it can take longer.
• If you don’t urgently need a passport for imminent travel, you can apply online to renew your passport.

British passport fees

The UK government is set to raise the fees for new British passports and renewals in April 2024.

A standard online application for an adult passport is set to rise from £82.50 to £88.50 from 11 April.

A passport for under 16s is set to rise from £53.30 to £57.50.