Passport perils: Navigating the ’10-Year Rule’ post-Brexit

Holidaymakers planning to travel to the EU should be aware of the “passport 10-year rule,” which has changed since Brexit.

Previously, UK travellers could carry up to nine months of validity from an old passport onto a new one.

However, EU countries no longer accept passports issued more than 10 years ago.

It’s estimated that around 32 million people applied for passports before these new rules came into effect, but the exact number of those affected is not known.

Since the UK left the EU, travellers going to any country within the bloc, including Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland (excluding Ireland), must have a passport issued less than 10 years before their departure date.

Also, the passport must remain valid for three months beyond the planned return date.

It’s important to note that passports issued before September 2018 could potentially remain valid for up to 10 years and nine months.

This was because the passport office used to add up to nine months from an old passport to a new one.

As a result, some individuals may have passports that have not technically expired and are still valid for travel worldwide but are not accepted in parts of Europe because they were issued more than ten years ago.