Two policies for UK passports that currently happily coexist, until March 30th.
Standard for passport validity across the world is 10 years and until 2018, the UK gave flexibility to renewal applicants, allowed under EU rules, by crediting new passports with up to nine months of unexpired time from the old one.
The entry rules for those arriving in the Schengen area from non-Schengen countries are that passports issued more than 10 years ago are deemed to have expired.
Schengen rules require visitors to have a minimum of three months’ validity remaining on their passport on the day of departure from the EU.
The British government added this condition to the maximum stay of up to 90 days and now states that that passports issued more than nine years and six months before the intended date of entry to the EU should be renewed.
Highlighted in the Independent today, by travel correspondent Simon Calder, this means that a ‘no-deal’ Brexit means a passport that expires in 14 months and and 29 days will be rejected as it is not valid.
The Home Office put an end to its ‘10-year plus a bit’ scheme and has published an online passport checking system. (HERE)
Around one million Britons whose passports were issued between January and March 2009 could find their passports are classified as out of date from hard Brexit day. Millions more UK passport holders may fall foul of the same rule later this year.
The Home Office states that,
"The rules for travel to most countries in Europe change if the UK leaves the European Union (EU) with no deal.
After 29 March 2019:
1. You should have at least 6 months left on your passport from your date of arrival. This applies to adult and child passports.
2. If you renewed a passport before it expired, extra months may have been added to your new passport’s expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months that should be remaining for travel to most countries in Europe.
The new rules will apply to passports issued by the UK, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey.
See: Advice for British passport holders if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
