British travellers to Spain warned as more than 135,000 passports expire this month

British holidaymakers planning a trip to Spain this October could face problems at the airport if they have not checked their passports before travelling. New figures highlighted by Wizz Air suggest that more than 135,000 British adult passports are due to expire this month, with thousands more reaching their expiry dates before the end of the year. However, travellers could be refused boarding even before their passports expire because Spain applies additional validity rules to British visitors.

135,006 British passports expire this month 

Wizz Air has highlighted that 135,006 British adult passports are due to expire this month, with another 125,405 following in November and 106,768 in December. That’s more than 367,000 in just three months, according to figures the airline says came from a Freedom of Information request (a public records request) to HM Passport Office.

Many of those holders will be planning a trip to Spain, whether it’s an October half-term break or a winter escape to the sun. However, the problem isn’t only passports that have already run out. 

Spain applies two extra tests to British passports, and airlines check them at check-in, so holidaymakers often find out at the airport rather than at home.

Spain wants three months left after you leave

The first is the three-month rule. Like the rest of the Schengen area (the European countries that share open borders), Spain asks for a passport that expires at least three months after the day you plan to leave.

Take a family flying out on Monday October 26 and home on Sunday November 1. Their passports need to run until at least Monday February 1, 2027, so one that expires in January looks fine for a week away but won’t be accepted.

Why an in-date passport can still be refused

Plenty of travellers will think ‘if it’s still in date, I’m completely fine’, but for Spain that isn’t always enough. A British passport lasts 10 years, but passports renewed before October 1, 2018 could have up to nine months left on the old one added to the new one. That means some show an expiry date 10 years and several months after they were issued.

Spain only counts 10 years from the issue date, and GOV.UK says the passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive.

So a passport issued in October 2016 can show an expiry date well into 2027 and still be refused this month. EWN has already reported on holidaymakers refused boarding over passport rules this summer.

What to check before you leave for the airport

Check the issue date as well as the expiry date, then count three months from the day you plan to leave Spain, not the day you arrive. Both tests have to pass. Holidaymakers have reported losing whole trips over passport dates this summer, so it’s worth two minutes with the passport before the cases are packed.

If you’re flying to Spain over Christmas, work out both dates now and, if you fall short, apply for a new passport through GOV.UK as soon as you can.