UK passport holders warned as six-month rule may wreck summer season 2026 holidays
British holidaymakers still using old red passports are being warned to check expiry dates before summer travel, as many countries enforce strict validity rules including the six-month requirement
Blue passports have been issued since 2020(Image: LPETTET via Getty Images)
British holidaymakers clutching old red passports are being cautioned ahead of their summer getaways. If you’re plotting a sun-soaked retreat this year, it’s vital to examine your passport before jetting off due to stringent entry rules overseas.
Numerous nations insist your passport stays valid for an additional six months before you embark on international journeys. Dubbed the ‘six-month validity rule’, many people still possessing pre-Brexit red passports might discover their documents lack adequate remaining time.
Certain countries, including those throughout the Schengen zone, enforce a three-month passport requirement. This allows travellers to access these locations provided their passport continues to be valid for no fewer than three extra months.
If you’re still carrying a red passport, it’s essential to verify its expiry date. Following Brexit, your passport must be under 10 years old when you arrive in the EU, with its expiry date occurring no sooner than three months after your intended EU departure.
Most individuals, quite understandably, assume an adult passport endures for a decade, but if yours was issued prior to October 1, 2018, extra months might have been tacked onto its expiry date should the previous passport have been renewed before it fully expired, reports the Mirror.
You can verify whether your passport satisfies the validity criteria for your trip on GOV.UK. Simply look up your destination country and click ‘entry requirements’, as reported by Wales Online. Furthermore, you’re restricted to a maximum visit of 90 days within any six-month timeframe.
A Post Office UK spokesman said: “If your passport was issued before September 2018, it might be valid for up to 10 years and nine months. This means some people have passports that haven’t officially expired and are still valid for travel worldwide. The exception is travel in Europe, where passports must be less than 10 years old.
“Many UK holidaymakers are still being caught out… If you don’t check these rules, you could run into problems, like not being able to board your flight or being denied entry when you land.”
When Britain was part of the EU, no such time limits existed for stays. Several nations enforcing a six-month passport requirement include the USA, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Australia, China, and Indonesia.
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