The rules for UK passport holders travelling to Europe has changed after Brexit.
UK nationals travelling abroad used to be able to carry up to nine months left on an old passport over to a new one. This meant that a passport could be valid for more than 10 years. This did not matter when the UK was a member of the EU.
However, the rules changed after Brexit, and the majority of EU countries no longer accept British passports, which were issued more than 10 years before the date – known as ‘the 10-year rule’.
To enter EU countries, your UK passport must:
- Have been issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the UK country (i.e. ‘the date of issue’)
- Be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave (i.e. ‘the date of expiry’)
If your passport does not meet these requirements, you will be refused entry.
These rules apply to all 27 EU countries except Ireland. They also apply to passengers travelling to countries within the EEA, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
If your passports date of issue was more than 10 years ago or your passport does not have enough time before it expires you should apply to renew your passport with HM Passport Office. Applications to renew a passport take on average up to three weeks to renew at a cost of 82.50 GBP.
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