The 10 year rule: Why some British passports are being turned away at airports
Words by ITV News producer Isabel Shore
Several British holiday makers have been turned away at the airport because their passports are no longer valid to travel within the EU.
Previously, when renewing a passport UK citizens have been allowed to carryover up to nine months from their old passport onto their new one, meaning it would be valid for more than 10 years.
However, since Brexit all 27 EU countries (except Ireland) no longer accept British passports that were issued more than 10 years from the day of travel.
This is what's known as the '10 year rule' and also applies to passengers traveling to Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
While this change first came into place in 2019 many travellers, including Instagrammer Beth Trubutt-Rogers, have recently found themselves caught out.
Beth, better known as the 'budgetingmum', took to Instagram on Sunday to explain how her trip to Spain was halted when her husbands passport was found to be invalid despite the expiry date being in March 2025 - eight months from now.
The reason for this is that UK passports are now checked from their issue date, rather than what the expiry date.
She told ITV News: "I had to fly with a three and four-year-old on my own. Flying without Matt was like flying without my right arm.
"He's the one that makes sure we are in the right place at the right time and does all the grownup stuff while I watch the kids."
The issue was not flagged to the family during online check-in and it was only when they got to the airport that they found out Matt could not not board the Ryanair flight with the rest of them.
Some airlines are more lenient on the rules such as Jet2 who allowed Matt to fly out the following day despite his passport being over 10 years old.
There two key requirements to check before you travel to the EU on a British passport this summer this summer:
Your passport must be valid for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the country you are visiting. This extends to 6 months for countries outside the EU.
Your passport must be issued within the previous 10 years - this is the date-of-issue not the expiry date.
Checking these dates will inform whether you need to renew your passport before travelling.
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