Warning Issued To Brits Who Still Have Red Passports

We’re slowly becoming a minority, but those of us who still have red passports have been issued a warning to check two important details ahead of booking any holidays this year. 

There’s enough stuff to try and sort out when you’re travelling, from flight times to security requirements to transfer details (be sure to check out TOTUM’s great Holiday Extras deals here), so when it comes to your passport, make sure you’re not hit with any unpleasant surprises at the last minute.

So, if you’re are still in possession of an red British passport, now that we’ve left the EU a few of the rules have changed which could have an impact on whether your holiday can even go ahead.  

Essentially, a large number of countries now have in place the 'six-month validity rule’ for passport holders would had theirs issued prior to Brexit.

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What is the Six-Month Passport Validity Rule?

A number of countries require your passport to be valid for another six months before you leave for travel, meaning that holders of older passports are more likely to be at risk of their documents not having long enough left.

According to VisaGuide.World, there are 70 countries that follow this six-month passport rule, with 41 countries following a more lenient three-month passport validity rule.

But it doesn’t end there…. On top of the six-month rule, since Brexit, your passport must also be less than 10 years old upon arrival at your destination. 

Although passports are widely believed to last just 10 years, if yours was issued before October 1st 2018, you may have had extra months added to its expiry date if your previous one was renewed before its expiry

It's a bit complicated, so, if you’ve got a red passport it’s definitely worth checking the expiry and issue dates to ensure you don’t get turned away at any borders and miss out on that beautiful sunshine!

In good news, you can easily check if your passport will be valid for any trip on the GOV.UK website, just by selecting a country and checking entry requirements.

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Some popular holiday destinations that have the six-month rule are; Egypt, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the UAE.

A few other destinations that have a three-month rule are; France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

There are some destinations that have their own rules upon arrival though, such as Hong Kong and The Maldives.

Some other new travel rules are also being introduced this year around things like taking liquids through airports and tourist taxes - if you’re heading off somewhere, you can find out about them here.