Help..! Advice needed. Child's passport has expired and we're on holiday in France

[loopeylu]

Due to return to the UK tomorrow, just spotted that 5 year old's passport is 4 weeks out of date. Came to France 2 weeks ago by ferry and all ok, but meant to be flying back from Biarritz tomorrow with Easyjet. Tempted to fly anyway and hope common sense prevails at passport checks but grateful for any advice or experience.

It isn't really an innicent mistake though, is it? Everyone knows you should check your passport before you go abroad as you have to have at least 6 months left on it before you go away. The fact that you are trying to wing it and say they can take on an irate 5 year old makes it sound like you are not taking responsibility. And if your 5 year old kicks off because he can't get on a plane it is your problem, not theirs.

curious bump

You don't have to have 6 months remaining for most European countries. DS has a couple of weeks left on his when we flew to Switzerland earlier on this year.

I really want to know the outcome, I'm intrigued :)

Hello! Back safe and sound and not by ferry.
No one noticed (or didn't appear to) on the French side - either at passport control or check-in or getting on the aeroplane. When we arrived in London, passport control scanned the passport and picked it up. They said something along the lines of 'do you know your child's passport is out of date?' Called supervisor over but were v helpful and let us through, saying we should get on and sort out a renewal. I''m on to it today!

Thanks for all help/advice etc. And let this be a cautionary tale.!

Oo - and JustFabulous, it was an innocent mistake. I didn't deliberately set off with an out of date passport when we went to France. It is however, a stupid mistake.! You sound like one of life's organised people - which I am too most of the time. I think you'll find lots of people remember to take their passports but don't routinely check them!

glad common sense prevailed :)

Glad there was a happy ending! Hope your holiday was lovely too!

Glad you all got home with plan A :)

glad you got home loopy. We had similar a few years back as DS4s passport was out of sync with everyone elses. I was sitting in the car at the ferry terminal with him, and DH and the others were in the terminal building. Passport man walks along, asks for passports, asks me which is DS4 and then points out our error in that his passport had expired months earlier. Had to work really hard to let them allow us to go to France for the week - open borders and that

Glad you got it sorted without problems- I'd have been sweating buckets at passport control if it were me! I bet that will never happen again in your family.....I can see how it would be so easily done though, not 2 members of our family have renewals due at the same time.