Passport query

[IAmATraitor]

My husband has surprised me with a holiday this summer and I’m stressing out about my passport!
We’re going to a Greek island for a week at the end of June, flying back on the 5th of July. My passport expires on the 15th of October, so 3 months and 10 days after we come back.
Will this be ok? Am I stressing for no reason?? I know it’s too late now to get a new one cos it has to be valid 6 months before we go

Just apply for a new one now.

Ive not heard of 6 months validity before you go but its clear everywhere that it's 3 months after your departure date

Why would she do that, that's a waste of years if she's not planning another holiday and the current one is valid

Valid 6 months before you go? This is a requirement no where in earth. Don't make life harder for yourself by inventing rules!

@FrannyScraps you’re right, I’ve definitely made this rule up! Could have sworn I read it somewhere the other day, but I’ve obviously just imagined it 🙈

Not sure where you got the 6-months validity before you go from? No country has this as a requirement.

Personally, I'd apply for a new one now before the Passport Office gets busy, that way you'll have a new 10-year one if you decide to go anywhere else later in the year.

@IAmATraitor you might not be able to go in june unless you have a new passport. you need to get a new one before you go and any remaining time on the old passport will be added to the new one. some companies demand 6 months before expiry. While no single airline specifically "demands" six months on your passport for a trip to Europe, most airlines will require this validity as it aligns with the Schengen Area rules, which means your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your intended travel dates to enter most European countries. you need to have a decent amount of time on your passport incase you have an accident abroad and your passport expires before you get the opportunity to travel home. it only takes a week at the moment for a new passport to arrive. get your pic taken at a place that does the passport pics (it is easier because the pic is immediately uploaded when you put the ref number in the online form. please read the rules, schengen rules apply to europe!!

Do you know, op, i feel like you can't fly with less than 6 months on your passport x

Are you talking about UK passports as pretty much none of that is true

Time added to passport hasn't been a thing for years, validity dates aren't down to individual companies or airlines, that's nonsense

@IAmATraitor please ignore this, go on your holiday with your current passport, the rules are perfectly clear, you have enough time

Agree with this.

@IAmATraitor If you know where you're travelling too, check here for passport validity requirements: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Type in the name of the country you're going to (and any you're going through/transit through), select it, then click on the tab for Entry Requirements and scroll down to see what it says for passport validity. Some European countries I think require only 3m, some countries around the world don't state any expect valid passport for the duration of your stay, some countries require 6m validity remaining.

And then check if the airline has the same of different requirements l, they are often more cautious.

Always worthwhile checking if you're close to the expiry of your passport.

I've just renewed my passport and it only took a week from me sending my passport off and getting a new one. So may be worth doing it now before the summer rush.

Thank you @HundredPercentUnsure
The airline I’m flying with has a tool you can use, so I put my passport info in there along with my travel dates and it’s saying it’s valid.

Thanks to everyone else for you help too

I just got back from Greece.

I realised my passport was out of date two weeks before going and paid for the one week service.

There's no requirement for it to have been issued six months.

What date was your passport issued? They are only valid for 10 years now. Any extra months added on are now disregarded.

What a load of out of date / incorrect nonsense @allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld.

As you've established already you're fine OP, so long as your passport was issued less than 10 years before the date you go on holiday (so in your case later than the end of June 2015).

If you travel regularly it makes sense to renew it soon, but if you won't be going away again for the foreseeable future after this trip then no point wasting months / years of a new one when it's perfectly valid for this trip.

Is it possible that Greece (or any other country) could alter its rules at short notice?

Extra months aren't disregarded for the time you need to have remaining on the passport, but you can't travel out within the extra months.

So if your passport was issued 15 June 2015 and expires 15 November 2025 you could travel up to 14th June 2025 to a country that requires a minimum of 3 months left on your passport until expiry. You could not travel on 16th June 2025, despite having 5 months left, as your passport would be over 10 years old.

Ignore most of the comments here if you are going from the UK to Greece you need at least 3 months validity when you return so you are absolutely fine, based on the expiry date. However it can't have been issued more than 10 years before the date you arrive https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece/entry-requirements.

Yes I agree..I should have added that in.