Grant Hardy and his wife were travelling from Guernsey to Tenerife in February when they were met by an airport official who said Grant’s passport was not valid for travel
A pair of holidaymakers were left devastated when their getaway to the Canary Islands took an unexpected turn due to a misunderstanding of a post-Brexit passport regulation.
Grant Hardy and his wife were due to travel from Guernsey to Tenerife in Spain, when their plans were abruptly halted by an airport official who incorrectly deemed Grant’s passport invalid for their February trip. Issued in March 2015 and set to expire in October this year, Grant’s passport still had eight months remaining — well over the required three months post-return date dictated by regulations stating that a passport must not exceed ten years of age (until March 27 in this instance).
Despite meeting these conditions, the couple found themselves stuck in Jersey after a Swissport staff member insisted on a non-existent rule, declaring the passport unfit for travel. As a result, they faced the burden of rearranging flights home, forfeiting their holiday, with financial repercussions amounting to roughly £4,000, a loss not recouped by travel insurance.
Grant commented: “[Swissport] acted appallingly and when I showed them the documentation and asked to video their response as they would not accept the [passport] information on the Government website, they called the police. I was publicly questioned at the airport for a disturbance, which was absolutely not the case.
“I was respectful and polite throughout and didn’t even raise my voice. I just stood my ground. In fact, the policeman shook my hand and wished me well. Swissport will not engage with me. It has not offered details of why I was refused boarding, or offered an apology.”
Swissport subsequently issued a statement regarding the fiasco, reports the Express. They said: “Our teams adhere to official travel document guidelines to ensure compliance with the entry restrictions of the destination. We have investigated this incident and the decision to deny boarding was in line with the available guidance on Schengen rules.”
However, Grant revealed to the Daily Mail that this is a common problem. A taxi driver at the airport informed him that other passengers have encountered similar issues in the past two weeks. The Wright family experienced a comparable nightmare at Gatwick Airport when an official from Norwegian Airlines also misunderstood the 10-year passport rule and refused them boarding. In this instance, Norwegian Airlines acknowledged the error and issued an apology.
It’s recommended that travellers thoroughly verify their passport validity and entry prerequisites for their intended destination via the official UK Government website. Rules on expiry dates vary by destination, with many countries insisting on at least six months validity from the departure date. It’s vital to verify expiry and issue dates well in advance of setting off, particularly since UK passports issued over 10 years ago might no longer be acknowledged post-Brexit because of the ’10-year rule’.
If that applies to you, a new application could be necessary. Although no longer issued since the UK officially left the European Union in 2020, burgundy passports many Brits still have are currently valid for travel in 2025 provided they are in date. If your passport is burgundy, it is well worth checking that it will be valid when you are planning to travel.
