Page 8 | Son's passport expiring - family hols in ruins

blueshoes · 2021-10-16T20:00:46+00:00

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 [[https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece/entry-requirements 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.

Peregrina · 16/10/2021 23:06

We don't know whether this lad's passport has anything to do with Brexit, but despite the LEAVERS screaming, for the rest of us it might well be affected.

My passport says it expires in June 24 - in fact it expires 7 months before that because I added the extra months on ( a concession now scapped) and we need to have 6 months before the ten years are up as a result of being a third country. So you now need to do some arithmetic to work out if a passport is valid still or not.

But hey, they are a very very dark blue - exactly the same colour as the old ones with the little windows in.

Love the false concern of leavers for the low paid - nothing stopped us paying decent wages before. As for vaccines - the rest of Europe has caught up, or in some cases overtaken us.

Warmduscher · 16/10/2021 23:09

@blueshoes

Wouldn't worry about it OP, your blasé attitude to the whole thing would have you taking any unfortunate events in your stride I'm sure

We were briefing the dcs 18 and 15 on what to do if there is an earthquake or tsunami. I checked our travel insurance. If ds got covid, we could actually claim back on insurance, just tongue-in-cheek of course.

Checked your travel insurance but didn’t think to check your DS’s passport.

You sound worse with every post.

PumpkinsandTea · 16/10/2021 23:09

@blueshoes

Thanks for sign-posting to the online premium service. Unfortunately that only applies for renewal of adult passports, not child passports.

One week fast track seems to be our only option. But even one week takes too long as we are leaving on Friday.

You said you leave on 30th October? That's not next Friday....

Original poster

blueshoes · 16/10/2021 23:10

Ds is lovely .

Dh agreed he is not thrilled to go on holiday without ds. Neither am I. We explored the idea of cancelling Crete for all of us and booking on a staycation instead.

Unfortunately ds said he would rather couch-surf than go on another staycation. Can't say I blame him.

OP posts:

Original poster

blueshoes · 16/10/2021 23:12

You said you leave on 30th October? That's not next Friday....

Sorry, meant we will leave Crete on 30 October. The 3 month validity starts ticking from the date of departure from Greece, that is why is gave the 30 Oct date.

OP posts:

FuckingFabulous · 16/10/2021 23:12

@blueshoes

Ds is lovely

.

Dh agreed he is not thrilled to go on holiday without ds. Neither am I. We explored the idea of cancelling Crete for all of us and booking on a staycation instead.

Unfortunately ds said he would rather couch-surf than go on another staycation. Can't say I blame him.

So he picked the best of the two shit options you gave him and you think that's a win?

Move your holiday to next half term and stay home!! Seems to be all about you and minimising the disruption/guilt to yourself.

Selfish 🤬🤬

ArranMumma · 16/10/2021 23:13

I’m surprised how many people think you shouldn’t leave your DS at home! He’s 15, he’ll probably love it! And he’s old enough to realise that sometimes mistakes happen so he’s hardly going to hold a personal grudge over it. It’s a shame and a fuck up but doesn’t mean you should ALL stay at home!

antsinyourpanta · 16/10/2021 23:14

we had a long haul holiday booked for Dec 2020 (booked Jan 2020)
DS passport expired 6 months from the day of departure. I checked with destination country and it wouldn't have been a problem but it was more of a problem in the stopover destination so I renewed it in October, knowing we would likely not be going. We didn't go and haven't been abroad since so thats wasted at least a year of a 5 year passport!

HollowTalk · 16/10/2021 23:15

Does this mean you and your husband get a holiday on your own together?

Workinghardeveryday · 16/10/2021 23:16

Hang on a minute... you will go WITHOUT ds?!!! Wtf.

Poor lad.

Original poster

blueshoes · 16/10/2021 23:17

@ArranMumma

I’m surprised how many people think you shouldn’t leave your DS at home! He’s 15, he’ll probably love it! And he’s old enough to realise that sometimes mistakes happen so he’s hardly going to hold a personal grudge over it. It’s a shame and a fuck up but doesn’t mean you should ALL stay at home!

Maybe the posters who feel strongly the family should cancel have younger dcs? My other dc is 18, so perhaps I see ds as more grown up and worldly, and he is objectively. He can weigh up pros and cons.

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Workinghardeveryday · 16/10/2021 23:19

I am actually gobsmacked you would even consider going without him. Do you understand how cold that is?

Grilledaubergines · 16/10/2021 23:19

Under 16s shouldn’t be left alone overnight.

Aside from that would you actually enjoy it without your son there?

NeverForgetYourDreams · 16/10/2021 23:19

@antsinyourpanta

we had a long haul holiday booked for Dec 2020 (booked Jan 2020) DS passport expired 6 months from the day of departure. I checked with destination country and it wouldn't have been a problem but it was more of a problem in the stopover destination so I renewed it in October, knowing we would likely not be going. We didn't go and haven't been abroad since so thats wasted at least a year of a 5 year passport!

We've wasted two years of our DS passport. Renewed September 2019 so would be good for April 2020 holiday. Wish I hadn't bothered now. Last child passport too

Warmduscher · 16/10/2021 23:20

If he’d chosen to stay at home having been offered that choice when the holiday was being discussed, that’s one thing.

Being forced to stay at home because his parents couldn’t be bothered to check his passport was valid is an entirely different one.

You seem to think the fact he’s saying it’s fine means it is. You must know he’s trying to make you feel less of a twat, surely?

Workinghardeveryday · 16/10/2021 23:20

He’s 15 not 18, doesn’t he want a holiday just like you do?

You would pack and have suitcases all ready with him around them then wave bye. I think it’s shocking!!

PumpkinsandTea · 16/10/2021 23:21

@Potpourri23

Imagine being an adult and thinking back to that time your parents went on holiday without you because they'd fucked up your passport renewal and they shipped you off to a friend you could visit any old time and told people with a tinkly laugh that you had chosen that option for yourself

When I was 16, I lived in a homeless hostel as there was no longer any room for me after my brother moved back in with his girlfriend & child. My parents buggered off to Canada on holiday, whilst I was struggling to find money to survive! Did they leave me any money or food? Did they f..... Not a penny. Apparently when they were that age (in the early 1950s...!), you were considered a fully competent adult and that I was entirely my own responsibility 😔 My mother now denies all knowledge of this ever happening, says they would never do such a thing (they bloody did!) despite the fact that shortly after their flight over there, 9/11 happened which she manages to remember! 🤔 Funny that! Anyway, I digress. Some parents genuinely don't have those kind of feelings of wanting to make their son/daughter happy. Sometimes there's no bond. I've just learnt from it as a parent myself 👍🏻

Original poster

blueshoes · 16/10/2021 23:22

Ds will be given spending money over the time he is with his friends, which he will probably use some to buy even more clothes, trainers and accessories online. He will be hanging out with a succession of buddies - he got some many takers to have him that he does not want to do more than one friend a night. I have to square it with his friends' parents after Monday morning where we are planning to stalk the passport office to take pity on us and renew his passport on the spot.

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50sock · 16/10/2021 23:22

@blueshoes

A lot of what we are dealing with at the moment is due to Brexit. There is no denying. EU travel and passport validity are a known issue. Yes, we should have checked earlier but got distracted by the ever-changing PCRs/Covid-19 situation so forgot about passports. Covid meant none of us has travelled for a long time and so were not regularly attuned to checking passports.

Oh come on you can't blame brexit for this one, no one checked his passport (not just your fault of course, anyone in the household could have), that's the issue.

bizboz · 16/10/2021 23:23

The 3 month validity starts ticking from the date of departure from Greece, that is why is gave the 30 Oct date.

If the issue is for one day, could you not re-book flights for at least DS and one parent to return a day earlier? If it is Ryanair it shouldn't cost the earth for two tickets and you were prepared to pay quite a lot to try to use the express passport service.

userchange987 · 16/10/2021 23:23

I'm really shocked, my eldest is 11 though so I appreciate I'm one of the ones who can't relate on that level. I simply can't imagine going without him, especially as he was supposed to go it's only because of an admin error he now can't, I'm amazed it was anyone's first thought. I know I'm a naive primary school parent, but I was 15 once and I'd have hated missing a family holiday abroad, especially after not going for so long.

Warmduscher · 16/10/2021 23:24

@blueshoes

Ds will be given spending money over the time he is with his friends, which he will probably use some to buy even more clothes, trainers and accessories online. He will be hanging out with a succession of buddies - he got some many takers to have him that he does not want to do more than one friend a night. I have to square it with his friends' parents after Monday morning where we are planning to stalk the passport office to take pity on us and renew his passport on the spot.

Thank goodness his friends’ parents are stepping in to fill the gap you’ve left with your shit parenting.

shinynewapple21 · 16/10/2021 23:25

I would probably try phoning the passport office, explaining the problem and hope they could provide an emergency appointment .

I wouldn't risk trying to fly with the short term passport - not sure what forms you have to fill in to travel to Greece but we had to include end dates of passports on our locator forms for Spain . It might be worth trying to speak to someone beforehand though as pp has said they were allowed to travel with short date child passport as long as date was OK on parents passport .

If neither of these options work I would be trying to move the date of the holiday . I can't imagine a situation where I would go on a holiday abroad leaving my 15 year old child behind - unless he had previously said he didn't want to go.

Workinghardeveryday · 16/10/2021 23:26

@PumpkinsandTea
I totally understand, I came home from school at 12 with a note on the fridge to say they had gone on holiday for 12 weeks!! I told my Form Teacher but he didn’t believe me.

My mum has also denied all knowledge then sometimes says there was plenty of food in the freezer.

@blueshoes do not underestimate how your son will never forget you fucked off on holiday without him, a holiday he also wanted to go on and because you fucked up sorting his pp out he couldn’t go. Nice

Workinghardeveryday · 16/10/2021 23:26

2 weeks