How Do I Know If My Passport Is Valid?

Since Brexit, the rules around passport validity have changed.  This has caused some confusion among travellers, who are unaware of the new criteria, meaning they may find themselves in a position where they are unable to travel.

The length of time required on your passport will depend on the country you are visiting, so the first step should always be to check with the FCDO travel advice website, click the country you are visiting, and look for ‘passport requirements’, which can be found under the ‘entry requirements’ section.  

For travel to the EU and Schengen Area countries, your passport must meet two main criteria.  We take a look at France.

France follows Schengen area rules.  Your passport must: 

• have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive – if you renewed your passport before 1 October 2018, it may have a date of issue that is more than 10 years ago
• have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen area

So, when booking your trip, it is wise to check the rules which apply to the Country that you are visiting and allow yourself plenty of time if you need to apply for a new passport.

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