A question for the seasoned travellers on here.
For one of our holidays this year we intend to go back to Europe after a long time having holidays only in the UK, as my wife doesn’t fly so I will either be driving or going on a coach tour probably to mid France or maybe northern Germany.
Obviously we’ve checked our passports, especially conscious of some of the long waits for possible renewal that were reported several months ago, anyhow it turns out I mine runs out in July 2024 and my wife’s is sometime in 2026…. great I thought then my wife mentioned about this ‘six months on your passport’ rule and we are totally unclear if this would apply to us when going over the channel to Europe?
I guess I’m ok for 2023 but what are people experiences with renewing their passports and could I leave mine until early 2024 to coincide with when it runs out?
Also I’ve heard that the new passports don’t add on an months/years that you might still have remaining so there is no incentive to renew early but almost to leave it until close to the expiry.
I know because of the cost many older family (and my son) now don’t have a valid passport as they’ve just let them lapse.
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...the requirements vary by country, but the specifics can be deterined by selecting the Country here:
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
....and then checking by clicking "Entry Requirements".
It is common for EU/Schengen, however, to find the following:
Passport validity
If you are planning to travel to an EU country (except Ireland), or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City, you must follow the Schengen area passport requirements.
Your passport must be:
Issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’)
valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)
You must check your passport meets these requirements before you travel. If your passport was issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date.
...so, be careful if you already have a passport with more than 10 years' validity.
(Frankly, I'd be careful of thinking I had 3 months validity remaining if that ran into the period beyond ten years on an extended passport, but that's probably just me ;-) )
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If you have less than a year to run, I think it is worth renewing your passport if there is a window in which you will not be travelling - that way you know you will not be inconvenienced.
You do waste a years worth of passport renewal fee - currently £8-9. Well worth it to avoid uncertainty!
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I've just done that. I have a trip to Berlin in early May and a bike trip in the summer, could be as early as July or as late as Septmeber. My red passport expired in February 2024 and consequently I was afraid of the Passport Agency's potential 10 week wait. I sent it late Januart and in the event I applied on line and it took 8 working days to be approved, printed and despatched.
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I renewed mine a few weeks ago. All done online. Photo taken in a Photo booth which issues a reference number which is put on the application. Kept informed every step of the way. Turned around within 7 days. Can't grumble with that.
Only issue was that as part of the process you have to surrender your existing passport, which is returned, as part of the renewal process.
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Mrs RP took my photo against a white pained wall at home.....she used to do it professionally (in Custody Suites !)
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Did you have to hold a chalk board with your name and DoB on it ? :)
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The point to remember, when checking the expiry date of the passport, is that the date stated will not be correct if the passport was issued during the time when extra months were added.
In all cases the correct expiry date is precisely ten years after the issue date.
Then there is the matter of how much time needs to remain on the passport for a particular trip, which varies according to where you're going.
And don't forget, if you plan to spend a lot of time in Europe, that it's essential your passport is stamped on arrival and exit, because of the "ninety day" rule.
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Out of curiosity, why do they send you your old passport back?
Is it for those who collect stamps?
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Good question. I suppose as you've paid for it.
You can line them up in order, look at the pictures of how you've 'matured and depress yourself. :(
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Visas?
I have valid visas and residence permits in expired passports.
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My Dad's passports from the late forties with stamps from when he was travelling across war scarred Europe and later when he was back/forth on business are exemplars of family history.
More seriously, and this was a thing for the Windrush victims, it might be all you have to prove where you were when and thus to show you have a right to be in the UK. Quite a few of the folks mentioned in the reports of what went wrong had lost old passports becuase of the kind of stuff that happens in life or they'd disappeared in some or another Home Offoce process.
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For those of you who may wish to stay beyond the 90 in 180 in the Schengen area, Spain specifically, Ive a number of friends who’ve lost their passports and had to apply for a new one.
Apparently, when both entering and departing Spain, passports are stamped but no digital record is kept of the duration. This was due to change in May 2023, but has now been put back several months...according to a retired friend who spent his career in French Foreign Office and seems to be in the know.
As for him staying in Spain for at least 9 months of the year and remaining a French tax payer, he just gives a Gallic shrug. As does his wife.
Just saying.
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My passport was stamped on the way into Spanish territory (Lanzarote), but not on the way out or back here, despite asking for it to be done. Not likely to go back for a while, hopefully won’t cause problems.
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Spanish border control couldn’t care less.
I visit at least five times a year, often popping out for a week at 24 hours notice if the U.K. weather is poor, the forecast in Spain is good, and I can get a dirt cheap flight and rental property.
Never once since Brexit have they looked at my entry & exit dates. If they were to figure out my 90/180 they’d need a calculator and a sheet of A4.
Open passport, look at my mugshot and compare, stamp, on your way.
Last edited by: legacylad on Mon 13 Feb 23 at 23:26
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>> Never once since Brexit have they looked at my entry & exit dates. If they
>> were to figure out my 90/180 they’d need a calculator and a sheet of A4.
>>
Yes I’ve wondered about this - customs never look at previous stamps but maybe it is checked through passenger data?
Renewed son’s passport online this month, using photo taken at home. Very simple quick and efficient.
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What's with this taking photos? Whenever I've renewed my passport/driving licence/bus pass, I've just told them to use my digital photo.
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When crossing into the Netherlands last summer, the very pleasant border guard only took a glance at my passport. Didn't check any stamps, same on the return trip.
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>> What's with this taking photos? Whenever I've renewed my passport/driving licence/bus pass, I've just told
>> them to use my digital photo.
Where did that come from? It didnt arrive on a chinese non spy balloon
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>> Never once since Brexit have they looked at my entry & exit dates. If they
>> were to figure out my 90/180 they’d need a calculator and a sheet of A4.
Friends sailed from Southampton last year - idea is to tour the med for a year or two. They sailed round the northern coast of Spain, then Portugal, then round to Gib. The boat is currently berthed in Tangier, will be then moved to Tunisia. Every marina on. the journey has had some petty official checking passports, carnets etc. They have had to carefully manage their 90 day limits (if you cant prove you were outside the maritime limit - and you cant without a stamp - the clock keeps ticking. They have leased a berth in Tunisia for a year, purely to keep popping back to manage the 90 day issue.
There may be ways round it, Registering the boat in Spain for example and paying an import tax on it
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Coincidentally, we both applied for passport renewal online last week. At the end of it, it told Mrs C to send her old one to one office, and told me to send mine to a different office.
Texts and emails updates for her through the week.
Hers arrived today. Mine's not got past "we've got it" yet...
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Passport question - tyrednemotional
