Since the UK left the European Union there is a very strict 10 year rule for UK issued passports that if you’re not aware of could prevent you from travelling. 

If your passport was issued prior to September 2018 it may appear that it is valid for more than 10 years. This is because the passport office would add up to nine months from an old passport onto a new one meaning the your passport was valid for 10 years and 9 months.

Whilst this is okay if you travel outside most of Europe, UK travellers must now make sure that their passport was issued less than 10 years before the date they enter the EU. This is known as the ’10 year passport rule’. The only exceptions being Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland. 

The critical point to this is it’s based on the issue date, not the date of expiry. 

Key notes to check: 

• See if your passport was issued before September 2018
• Check the issue date and ensure it does not exceed 10 years. Note – this is the issue date not the valid to or expiry date
• Ensure your passport will be valid for three months after your planned return date
• You can only stay in Schengen countries for up to 90 days within a six month period (before Brexit it was unlimited)
• Some countries require your passport to be valid for 6 months after entry such as Indonesia, India, China, Thailand, UAE and Australia
• If you have a Red British Passport this was issued before Brexit and is your prompt to check the 10 year rule. Blue passports are now issued post-Brexit
• If you do have to apply for a new Passport to make sure it’s within the 10 year rule, most applications are processed within three weeks.