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Original poster

Son's passport expiring - family hols in ruins

828 replies

blueshoes · 16/10/2021 21:00

Dh and I were looking forward to our family holiday in Crete, Greece for the October half term. We watched the covid-19/PCR situation closely not realising that my 15 year old son's passport has less than 3 months. Just found out today. This is our first foreign holiday since covid struck.

The government website says that for entry to Greece, your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave Greece, or any other Schengen country.

We leave on 30 October and my son's passport expires just short of 3 months on 22 January 2022. It is too late to renew his passport as we are leaving in less than a week.

Ds cannot come with us, can he? Sad We f_ked up.

Anybody recently travelled to Greece with Ryanair with less than 3 months left on their passport? Is it a bad idea to turn up and chance it or bite the bullet now and plan on the basis ds cannot go.

OP posts:
Holly60 · 17/10/2021 20:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BluebellCockleshell123 · 17/10/2021 20:24

God OP you’ve had a hard time on here. Hopefully you’ll be able to get an emergency appointment, but if you can’t then I guess it’s up to you and him to decide what to do.

Does no one ever remember their last family holiday as a a teenager? I remember it being excruciating and would much have preferred staying at home with friends. My own 15yr old son would much prefer to spend a week with his friends than to come on holiday with us (unless it’s somewhere he really wants to go).

It sounds like your DS is sensible and that you are taking reasonable precautions e.g. emergency adults, home security. If it suits you all then just ignore all the pearl clutchers on here and go on the holiday. You can make it up to him when you come back with a trip just for him.

shinynewapple21 · 17/10/2021 20:37

@PyjamasAndWellies

I think this is totally fine...some people seem to baby their 15 year olds! I would maybe try and keep it to him staying at just one or two houses and would definitely speak to the parents seeing as this isn't a normal sleep over because you will be abroad....but other than that I'm sure this would have been totally normal when I was 15. I wasn't much older than that when I was left to fend for myself! I did have some house parties though Grin

It's not about babying your 15 year old, it's about the fact that the child was originally included in the holiday plans and therefore had not suggested prior to the passport mess up that he didn't want to go with them .

My teenager was always very clear - holiday in Wales? no thanks . Free holiday in the sunshine ? Absolutely !

CecilieRose · 17/10/2021 20:44

@shinynewapple21 then he should have made sure his passport was in date, shouldn't he? He's 15, not 5! A useful life lesson not to leave other people in charge of your personal possessions or documents.

WorriedMumofTeen16 · 17/10/2021 20:46

@blueshoes

One of us might get covid and have to stay home anyway or need to quarantine. And there were 2 recent earthquakes in Crete with a mini-tsunami. The chances of this holiday going well are pretty slim.
The two earthquakes don't seem to have impacted much. The dates you're going though, depending where in Crete you're going, you may find alot of businesses are shut. We made that mistake last year and came earlier this year, currently in Platanias until next Saturday. A huge amount of the businesses are readying to close next weekend for the winter, alot already have, buses have moved to winter timetable and the train that does the tours finished at the weekend. I imagine it's the same in alot of the smaller areas though the cities such as Chania will still have alot to do.
ChocolateIsMySleeep · 17/10/2021 20:53

We had similar a couple of years back. Went to check in on the Weds night for a Monday morning flight and realised DD's passport had actually run out two months before.

I managed to get a next day appointment in Newport - but they refused to issue the passport without her Dad there. They grudgingly agreed to give me an appointment the next afternoon but wouldn't guarantee me a passport would be issued - and if it did, it would take overnight and we would collect it in the morning.

So we had to take the kids out of school and all four of us drove up again the next day with birth certificates for us and both kids and all our travel documents. We got there at 9.30am and begged for an earlier appointment - eventually we were allowed in. We saw a passport officer and then supervisor. They checked all our documents very carefully and asked the kids lots of questions but finally they agreed and we got a four hour turnaround in the end.

I'm now totally paranoid and check all passports about 20 times before we go away!

yikesanotherbooboo · 17/10/2021 21:07

Chocolateismysleeep I am also paranoid about this. DS was going away with DD one year and his passport had run out. I had to shlep up to Peterborough with him and get a replacement. I think he was 18 then but I definitely felt it was my oversight. He had to travel a day late by train.

Warmduscher · 17/10/2021 21:09

@sunglassesonthetable

Nope, you’re the one who told posters to “sit down”.

errr, so what?

Apologies if that was a bit hard to understand.

What I meant was that it was ironic you told posters who you disagreed with to “sit down” (i.e. to shut up) and then in the next breath accused someone of being the thread police.

Hope that’s clarified things a bit.

shinynewapple21 · 17/10/2021 21:23

[quote CecilieRose]@shinynewapple21 then he should have made sure his passport was in date, shouldn't he? He's 15, not 5! A useful life lesson not to leave other people in charge of your personal possessions or documents.[/quote]
Oh come on @CecilieRose that's bloody ridiculous . The OP and her DH booked the holiday as a family holiday . Of course you would expect them to check all the passports not just check their own and expect their DC to check their individual passports Maybe the DC should have booked their own plane tickets and hotel too? It's not like expecting your child to take responsibility for their homework or taking a house key when they go out!

SuperCaliFragalistic · 17/10/2021 21:45

I was 18 when my parents left me home alone because I really didn't want to go on a family holiday to Portugal. 2 fantastic weeks at home, I had friends over (no parties) and was very responsible. I know the OPs DS is 15 and there's a big difference but, honestly, he'll be absolutely fine.

In your shoes I would make alternative plans for him and ask your older DC if she'd like to bring a friend so the ticket isn't wasted then take DS on a trip somewhere another time to make up for it - something he would love like a city break to New York or a ski trip.

YeOldeTrout · 17/10/2021 21:55

My parents invited me on trip to USSR when I was 15 & I said no (more fool me). I was insulted they got a friend to house-sit while they were away.

CecilieRose · 17/10/2021 21:55

@shinynewapple21 it really isn't. I had my own passport in a drawer in my room at 15 and flew abroad on my own. It would be unreasonable to get angry with a 15-year-old for not realising, but IMO not unreasonable to leave them at home. Why should the other kid miss out on a holiday? What's the use in wasting all that money because of one problem?

Babymamamama · 17/10/2021 22:04

Why would any child check their own passport. Up to 16 the passport has to be renewed by the parent/carer. That’s therefore the responsibility of the adult.

Frankie2015 · 17/10/2021 22:07

This literally happened to me for May half term! To Crete as well! found out 5 days before my sons passport was out of date through all the focus on Covid tests and being organised with that, totally didn't register to check

We didn't go, I don't think I could forgive myself for leaving my son behind and him knowing we were on holiday having fun without him

Cameleongirl · 17/10/2021 22:14

@Babymamamama

Why would any child check their own passport. Up to 16 the passport has to be renewed by the parent/carer. That’s therefore the responsibility of the adult.
I agree, I wouldn’t expect an under 16 to check their passport expiry date…perhaps even up to 18. Although I was traveling independently by 16/17 so I had to.
HannibalHayeski · 17/10/2021 22:30

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

sunglassesonthetable · 17/10/2021 23:02

Hope that’s clarified things a bit.

Clear as mud @Warmduscher

Warmduscher · 17/10/2021 23:13

@sunglassesonthetable

Hope that’s clarified things a bit.

Clear as mud @Warmduscher

If you really can’t see that you accuse someone of doing something you just moments earlier did yourself, I’m not sure I can help you.
sunglassesonthetable · 17/10/2021 23:42

Nope, never thought you could help me.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 18/10/2021 03:50

I just asked my nearly 14yo DS how he would feel in this situation - he said he'd be happy to stay with friends, in fact would usher us out the door to do so! (He does love us and does come on family holidays with us quite happily but he's getting to that age now...)

LoveGrooveDanceParty · 18/10/2021 04:07

You’re sure he wouldn’t rather take in the ruins of Crete and sample the local delicacies each evening, @ThumbWitchesAbroad? Wink

wombat1a · 18/10/2021 04:52

I'm pretty sure that DS when he was 15 would have loved for us to go off without him. By that age he was already fed up with going on holidays with us, all he wanted to do was hang about with his mates.

Orangebonbon · 18/10/2021 05:00

blueshoes don’t worry about your son, he sounds mature and capable enough to not have you around for 7 days, it’s not like you are abandoning him, he has family around him if anything happens whilst you are away. Go and enjoy yourself and ignore the posters who are trying to make you out to be a horrid mum.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 18/10/2021 05:15

@LoveGrooveDanceParty

You’re sure he wouldn’t rather take in the ruins of Crete and sample the local delicacies each evening, *@ThumbWitchesAbroad*? Wink
His eyes properly lit up at the thought that I was actually going to do this - he was disappointed when I said it was a hypothetical situation for us, but something someone online was going through. Grin
madisonbridges · 18/10/2021 05:34

[quote Clymene]@AliceinBorderland - no but lots of countries view the uk in a less favourable light since Brexit. Even (or perhaps especially) those who would like to join but aren't able. [/quote]
No, you view the uk in a less favourable light, but where's the proof that a) other countries do; and b) if they do, it makes a difference to the legally agreed entry paperwork required?
Brexit was voted on over 5 years ago. Its been well-publicised to get passports sorted. This is not a Brexit problem, this is a parent problem.