The rules apply for trips to Spain, Greece, France and other EU countries
London Luton Airport is warning holidaymakers to check their passports now, or risk being turned away from flights. It comes as British travellers heading to EU countries now face different regulations, after Brexit.
An update issued from the airport’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, earlier today reads: “Travelling in the EU? You’ll need to renew your passport if there’s under three months on your passport while travelling [and/or] your passport is 10 years old or more when you enter an EU country”.
While the advice comes from Luton Airport, the rules are the same no matter where you fly from, if you’re travelling with a British passport. If your travel document does not meet these requirements, you’ll likely be turned away by airline staff.
If you’re heading abroad soon, make sure to double-check your passport well before jetting off, as renewing one can take time. His Majesty’s (HM) Passport Office indicates that processing and delivery of a fresh or replacement passport currently takes around three weeks.
However, it can take longer “if we need more information, or we need to interview you”. Should any issues arise, the Passport Office will get in touch with you directly.
Since April of this year, a new or replacement adult passport (that is, someone aged 16 or above) costs £94.50 when applying online, or £107 if using the paper form. For children these prices ate £61.50 or £74, respectively.
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If you need a passport urgently, you can use the Premium Service (one day) but this will set you back £222 for an adult passport, or £189 for a child’s.