IF you have a holiday to Europe booked in the coming months, you may want to check whether you need to renew your passport before you go right now.
As depending on the rules set out after Brexit, Brits may need longer validity on their passport than they think.
So if you’re jetting off soon, here’s everything you need to know about the impact Brexit could have on your passport.
Do I need to renew my passport after Brexit?
It all depends on how long is left before your current passport is due to expire and what kind of deal Britain secures with the EU.
If Britain leaves the European Union without a deal, then new rules will apply for UK citizens travelling to certain countries in the EU after April 12.
In a No Deal situation, you will need up to 15 months of validity on your passport.
Why do I need 15 months left on my passport?
At the moment, Brits who renew their passport before it’s expired can carry up to nine months over to their new passport.
So a new passport can have the maximum validity of 10 years and nine months.
In a No Deal Brexit scenario, Brits visiting Schengen Area countries, including Spain, France and Greece, will be governed by the same rules as visitors from non-EU countries.
This means that they will need at least six months left on their passport to enter the EU, and their passport must have been issued in the last ten years.
It creates a loophole that makes the extra nine months that were carried over invalid in the Schengen Area.
That’s why Brits who carried over the full nine months when they last renewed would need at least 15 months left on the passport after Brexit – nine months to account for the now-invalid time carried over, plus six months for the required validity.
The Government has a free passport checker that you can use to check whether you need to renew your passport before you travel, which you can find here.
The new rules will apply to all passports issued by the UK, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey.
A new adult passport costs £75.50 if you apply online.
Brits are advised to allow at least three weeks for it to arrive if renewing it online.
Which countries will be affected?
The rules will apply to travel to, from and between any countries in the Schengen area.
These are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
The new rules don’t apply for travels to Ireland.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania are not in the Schengen area and you will need to check entry requirements for these countries separately.
Sun Online Travel recently revealed some of the most powerful passports around the world.
We also reported how there are only four different passport colours in the world.
And if you’re planning on visiting Bali, you need to make sure your passport is absolutely pristine.
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