Help! Travelling Monday - Passport Expiry.

Thats so annoying. It wouldn’t occur to me that a passport wouldn’t be valid for travel before it had actually expired, I would have assumed it was fine to travel up to the 16th January. It is an easy mistake to make and strikes me as an odd rule that you can’t travel with under 3 months left on a passport, why give an expiry date if actually it’s not valid from another, sooner, date?

Duplicate

They are zippy atm, I sent mine off on Thursday and they received it Friday and I had the new one on the following Tuesday - sorry that that won’t help the OP though.

they are 18 years old and it’s a day trip. Looks like they will be sitting this one out. Unfortunate but a good life lesson for them. Make sure they understand why, and that it’s their responsibility to manage their own passport now they are an adult.

Not sure having 6 months left on your passport makes you any more traceable than having 2 months or a month.

Yes, I agree - responded to a similar comment a few minutes ago.

June!

Oh no! Obviously in hindsight you or DH should have checked (this isn’t something I’d expect an average 18 year old to know yet since they likely haven’t been involved in arranging much travel yet), but I can see how it would get missed, especially with a last minute trip and mum being keeper of his passport. Unfortunately it sounds like he’s going to have to stay behind this time. Disappointing but this won’t be scarring for him at this age. Is there an alternative treat DH can arrange for him? I’m guessing that could to a long way to softening the blow.

I’m a mid-30s professional who travels internationally roughly 30 weeks per year, and about this time last year I arrived in the US with DH and all 7 of our DC for a Holiday visit and got to spend several hours at the airport sorting things out because I had somehow brought only my UK passport with me… as a dual citizen I know full well that I need my US one to enter or leave there. We all miss things and just have to figure out the least shite way to deal with the problem.

Hopefully Santa will bring some of these posters trampolines next week since they seem to have a need to jump up and down on something.

Well he won't get in. Why would he with 3 weeks left?! What a stupid comment.

@invisiblebark I realise this is probably irrelevant but from context I'm assuming that it is a British passport your dss has. If it was an EU one I think it would still be ok.

Yes, 13, realised that after I posted. Still probably young enough not to pay it much heed.

When was this?

Why would he get in? His passport isn't valid for travel to Europe.

I realised the night before a flight that one of the children’s passports only had a month left on it. Shit parenting, I know. Life was on top of us at the time.
I decided to risk it as knew there was obviously no chance of getting a new passport in time or getting any of the flight money back (terrible, I know). Nothing said boarding the flight there or back. Nothing said at customs either.
I’m not suggesting it’s a good idea to risk it but that’s my personal experience.

Would it be worth you taking him and seeing if he gets in?

@JustHoldOnOneMinute

I think it is just unlucky timing. He's 18. Last time his passport expired, he would have been 8.

13, surely?

He's only just turned 18 and the holiday was booked by his parents - I don't think it's surprising that he just said "yes, I'd love to come" and didn't really think anything else of it.

If a parent organises a family holiday for multiple children, I do think they have a responsibility to check that all passports are valid, even if some of those children are technically adults.

Oh yes, totally agree in this case. It's just the person saying it was the responsibility of the trip-booked made it sound like a general principle.

Academic, of course, in this specific situation.

No sympathy for your mum then, did she end up going in the end?

I guess it's like when people don't do travel insurance either....

Not sure why there’s so many posters posting multiple times on this thread just to have a go at the OP, get a life! People make mistakes all the time - overlook something they should check, mis-remember information they thought they knew etc. FWIW, I know two very capable, organised and intelligent people who fell foul of the passport rules, it happens to the best of us.

OP it’s gutting when it sounds like you’ve been having a tough time if it already. I hope the rest of you still have a lovely time.

so you're more easily traced I guess.

I think it is just unlucky timing. He's 18. Last time his passport expired, he would have been 8. Next time he'll be 28. He's dropped the ball because he's new to being responsible for it and it probably never occurred to him.

God. Kick the Op more you bunch of miserable sods.

Have a brilliant time, Op. You may have overlooked a passport date but at least you're not a cunt.

I don't understand the logic here. Yes, if you were booking somewhere that required a visa that the other passengers might not be aware of, or if you were booking a surprise trip, but if you agree to be part of a holiday abroad I think the onus is on you to make sure your passport is valid.

Do you expect the person who made the booking to make sure you get to the airport on time and tell you to pack clean underwear as well? Not unless you're their child, I wouldn't have thought.

What is there to stop you doing that with 6 months left on your passport?