Hundreds of Brits are being turned away at UK airports every day due to a little-known post-Brexit rule that is catching people unaware.
Many holders of the old burgundy passports don’t realise that to enter the European Union, UK passports must have been issued within the last decade and remain valid for three months beyond the planned return date in order to travel.
Those with newly-issued blue passports will all be in date due to when the new documents were issued, but those who are holding onto the glory days of old might be in trouble.
According to travel guru Simon Calder from the Independent, “easily a couple of hundred people a day” are being denied boarding due to the post-Brexit rule.
Over the year, he suggests this could add up to more than 100,000 missed holidays due to the regulations.
Simon has reached out to airlines, pushing them to better inform travellers, especially during online check-in processes which can occur weeks ahead of the flight.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Simon said: “I’m afraid all you can do at this stage is try and get an emergency appointment and see if you can get a passport turned around.”
“But if you’re travelling later, maybe in the May bank holidays or the summer holidays then you’ve got time on your side and just to stress… It’s only the EU that cares about the issue date, if you’re going to America, Australia, Tunisia they say your passport’s valid up to and including the expiry date.”
If someone is turned back at the airport Simon Calder said they were “absolutely not” covered and would not get their money back. “It’s always the passengers’ responsibility to make sure they are compliant.”