We're going to be flying to France later this year. We've not flown for about eight or nine years.
My passport was issued in 2005, and Mrs C's in about 2003, so just about still valid.
Any problems with old passports that are still valid? They don't have to be some new biometric fancy thing for the airline do they, or, as the title says, is a valid passport a passport?
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They'll be fine Cc. Have a good trip !
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Ta! Mind officially at rest.
Obviously the next time I check this thread there'll be an "ah but.." of course.
:)
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Well, you said you were waiting for the 'ah, but..', so here it is.....
You say that SWMBO has a passport issued in 2003 which means it expires in 2013, this shouldn't be an issue but some countries require that your passport should still have x months validity on it at your return date. Not sure whether France has this requirement, probably not as it's EU but you never know with the French....
The catch would come if the requirement was for, say, 6 months validity and you were returning to UK in September or October 2012 but passport expires at end of Jan or Feb 2013.
Worth a quick check on the FO website I would suggest just to ease your mind completely.>> Ta! Mind officially at rest.
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Strictly, you don't need a passport to travel to another EU country, only a means of identification.
A passport is as good a means as any.
Others on here will know if you'd be allowed on the plane with any other form of identification.
But since you supposedly don't need a passport, your passports, even if they are nearly expired, should do.
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Ah but...
:-)
If the 2003 one will have less than six months to run when you make your trip it might be worth renewing it early. Almost certainly wouldn't present a problem travelling to an EU country if you don't but belts and braces come to mind...
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You can also renew a passport nine months before it is due to expire and it will have the new expiry date as being ten years from the expiry date on current passport - hope that makes sense.
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My sister discovered her husband's passport to be six months expired while gathering docs together on the M2 en-route Dover.
Being the fly on the headlining at that moment would have been interesting but they got in and out of France without difficulty.
DFDS paid more attention to ours then the Police de Frontiers did last time.
IIRC a recently expired passport is OK for ID on UK domestic flights.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Fri 9 Mar 12 at 16:24
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Iffy's right that a recognized identity document is all that's required for travel within the EU. But, as a UK citizen, how many recognized identity documents are available to you?
Clue: your driving licence won't do, nor will your TV licence. The UK doesn't issue an identity card...see where this is going?
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>> Strictly, you don't need a passport to travel to another EU country, only a means
>> of identification.
>>
>> A passport is as good a means as any.
>>
>> Others on here will know if you'd be allowed on the plane with any other
>> form of identification.
>>
>> But since you supposedly don't need a passport, your passports, even if they are nearly
>> expired, should do.
>>
>>
>>
Yes some people don't need them, members of the red cross, diplomats, armed forces subject to various acts etc.
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My Italian colleagues don't bring their passports when travelling in the EU including Britain but they do need their ID cards ( which we don't have of course so we need passports )
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Must admit I was always under the impression that as EU members we didn't need passports but only formal ID however looking at the FCO site for travel to France it actually states that it is a requirement for visitors to France to have a valid passport for entry. Told you the French have their own little ways......
Also noticed that nobody under 18 can now drive in France, even if you hold a full licence here.
The OP can be relived though, your passport only needs to be valid for your duration of stay, no buffer required.
www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/france1
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>> >> Strictly, you don't need a passport to travel to another EU country, only a
>> means
>> >> of identification.
Strictly speaking, if you are a Brit, you do need a passport. The UK is not bound by the Shengen Agreement, and the rules of free movement within the EU insist on an ID card - we don't have one!
If you try to fly to Europe from the UK with no passport you aint getting on the plane.
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You are right Zero the UK is not part of the Schengen agreement.You will need a passport to travel to the EU and back.No fault of the French this time.
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Pre-Schengen and whilst still living in the UK, I once rolled up at Manchester Airport to fly to Germany only to discover I didn't have my passport. I phoned up our travel agent who told me, no chance, call off the trip.
I decided to approach the Lufthansa desk anyway and they couldn't have been more helpful. They went through all the ID I had, took the German driver's licence which I still had from a previous extended stay in Germany and rang the border control at Frankfurt Airport. They then sent a telex(!) quoting the licence number and confirming permission to cross the border.
This got me through passport control at Manchester, onto the Lufthansa plane and then through Frankfurt passport control.
On the trip back exactly the same. Only problem I had was with the ever customer friendly British Airways at Frankfurt who refused to let me on the plane on the basis of either the driver's licence, the telex or the BA Gold Card which I had at the time. Things got a bit loud and the situation was eventually escalated to the pilot who let me on board. At Manchester I also got straight through passport control.
This was only one of the reasons I eventually stopped using BA.
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Iceland Norway and Zwitserland are not part of the EU but signed up to the Schengen Agreement.
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Is a passport a passport? - Runfer D'Hills
