SUMMER is almost upon us and no one wants to be denied boarding at the airport.
To avoid disappointment, here are all the passport rules you need to double-check before jetting off on your next holiday.
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Check your dates
This issue of expiry dates catches out plenty of Brits as it is a little confusing.
While some countries only require an in-date passport, some require you to have a few months left on it to visit.
For travelling to most of Europe, passports must have at least three months left on their passport AFTER the planned return date.
Some places like Dubai and Thailand, Brits are required to have at least six months left.
Passport age
Passports must NOT have been issued more than 10 years ago.
Travellers must check the start date rather than the expiry listed in the passport.
So if your passport was issued in April 2016, but has an expiry of December 2026, your passport is out of date as it’s over 10 years old.
This is the case even if the expiry date isn’t until months later.
These rules especially affect those still with burgundy passports – the last of these will expire in 2030 as they were last issued in 2020.
Figures have shown up to 100,000 holidaymakers a year face being turned away at airports if their passport is more than 10 years old.
Blank pages
In some countries, travellers must have at least two blank pages in their passport for entry to the country.
These destinations include Austria, Italy, Germany, and the Bahamas.
Most won’t be affected, but for seasoned travellers, it’s a requirement worth knowing.
Others require you to have as many as three blank pages.
Full list of countries requiring two blank pages
Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
Europe: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russian Federation, San Marino, Vatican City.
Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Vietnam.
South America and the Caribbean: Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Venezuela.
Passport care
Take care of your passport because any kind of damage could lead to it being invalid, for example, things like water damage, stains and tears.
A common misconception is that as long as all the information on a passport is present, visible and legible, it is acceptable for travel.
However, this isn’t the case. Lifted laminate on the personal details page can cause rejections, even if the photograph and information can be easily viewed, as can torn or defaced pages.
Pen marks, stickers or novelty stamps could also result in a passport being rejected.
The price to renew a passport has also increased drastically, so look after it to ensure you don’t have to fork out hundreds for a replacement.
Here’s more information on passport rules
Everything you need to know about passports
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