Simon Calder has issued an urgent warning for British holidaymakers as he said that 200 UK tourists are being turned away every day at airports due to new EU travel rules.
Under the new rules, EU countries will not accept passports issued more than 10 years ago.
Since the UK’s departure from the EU, individuals travelling to any EU member state, as well as Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland (excluding Ireland), are required to possess a passport issued within the last 10 years.
Additionally, the passport must remain valid for at least three months beyond the intended date of return. Passports issued post-2018 have a standard validity period of precisely 10 years.
However, passports issued before September 2018, might be valid for up to 10 years and nine months due to a practice where the passport office would add up to nine months from an expiring passport onto a new one.
As a result, some individuals may possess passports still technically valid for international travel but are ineligible for entry into certain European countries as they were issued over a decade ago.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent at the Independent, says based on his own research “easily a couple of hundred people a day” are being turned away from their flights, reports BBC.
He said: “Across the year you could easily find that there’s over 100,000 people who lose their holidays as a result of these rules.”
He has written to the airlines, urging them to do more to make people aware, particularly if someone is checking in and inputting their advanced passenger information, often weeks before their travel date.
Airlines UK told BBC that there was no guarantee that potentially invalid passport details would be picked up in advance, and said airlines do provide reminders and links.
It said it was the responsibility of the person travelling to ensure they have a valid travel document.
For those people who are due to travel this weekend and spot a problem with their passport, Mr Calder told BBC Breakfast: “I’m afraid all you can do at this stage is to try and get an emergency appointment and see if you can get a passport turned around.
“But if you are travelling later, maybe in the May bank holidays or the summer holidays then you have got time on your side and just to stress… it’s only the EU that cares about the issue date, if you are going to America, Australia, or Tunisia they say your passport’s valid up to and including the expiry date.”
If someone is turned back at the airport Mr Calder said they were “absolutely not” covered and would not get their money back. “It is always the passengers’ responsibility to make sure they are compliant.”
The Home Office also said it provided up-to-date information on passport requirements on its website, which it keeps under constant review.
Fees for new passports and renewals are set to go up in April under government plans. A standard online application for an adult is expected to rise from £82.50 to £88.50 from 11 April. A passport for under 16s is currently £53.30 and is set to increase to £57.50.
