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Brits urged to check passport validity immediately as ‘no-deal’ Brexit looms
Many UK travellers need to renew their passports by Friday to avoid being barred from entering popular European countries in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Which? has warned.
Holidaymakers and business travellers risk falling foul of rules for entering countries in the Schengen zone, such as France, Spain and Italy, according to Which?.
Visitors usually need at least six months left on their passport from the date they arrive and, until recently, UK citizens who renewed their passport before it expired could have up to nine months of the remaining validity added to their new travel document.
The Government says this time carried over will not count towards the six-month requirement after a no-deal Brexit, meaning people with up to 15 months left on their passport could be denied entry,
That could apply to an estimated 1.5 million who are expected to travel this spring or summer.
Which? says tomorrow (Friday March 8) will be three weeks before the UK is due to withdraw from the EU. Three weeks is the time it takes for passports to arrive after a standard renewal application.
Which? Travel magazine editor Rory Boland said: "Millions of people could find their holiday plans disrupted or, worse yet, find themselves stranded at the departure gate and prevented from travelling altogether if they fail to renew their passport before the cut-off date."
A Home Office spokesman said: "If there is no deal, new rules would apply when travelling on a British passport to many European countries and some people may need to renew their passport earlier than planned."
To check whether a passport needs to be renewed, use the Government’s new online Passport Checker.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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