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Original poster

Child’s passport only has 2 months on it. Flying to Spain on Saturday!

668 replies

olympicsrock · 15/02/2022 10:39

Help!!!
Just discovered that my 10 year old son’s passport only has 2 months left on it. We have flights booked to go to Spain on Saturday. .

Has anyone travelled to Spain on this situation recently? What happened?? Were you refused permission to board the plane?
I have phoned the passport office . There is absolutely no way to get a passport for him in the next 10 days as need to do face to face for child renewal , no appointments til next week abs then a week to deliver by post.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
PAFMO · 15/02/2022 18:06

@refusetobeasheep

wow, well my colleague is now in France so somehow she managed it!
She got past the API details, through check-in, to the gate where she spotted the pilot of the plane who intervened on her behalf risking a massive fine for his company and disciplinary action which would probably warrant instant dismissal (y'know, helping a stranger to break the law etc) and when they got to France the French border authorities were also OK with this?

Give over.

PAFMO · 15/02/2022 18:08

I missed the other bit about making the plane late. So potentially another fine for the airline from the airport authorities in question.
@refusetobeasheep, are you basing your story on what you've seen on Home Alone? You don't know much about airports or flying do you? Or the law.

Silverswirl · 15/02/2022 18:09

@daimbarsatemydogsbone
As others have said you are wrong.
Before Brexit you could travel to Spain and back right up until the expiry date on your passport!
Now you need 3 months left.
It’s changed since Brexit. Not sure why you arnt getting that!
So yes, bloody Brexit is accurate.

HaveringWavering · 15/02/2022 18:10

@refusetobeasheep

wow, well my colleague is now in France so somehow she managed it!
She’s not. She is too embarrassed to admit that she fucked up the whole family’s holiday so they are sitting out half term in a Travelodge in Luton, making the kids rehearse their made-up ski holiday anecdotes.
kitcat15 · 15/02/2022 18:11

@refusetobeasheep

my colleague was stopped at the gate yesterday as her youngest boy's passport runs out late April. Refused boarding. All kids with her in tears. She can see the pilot and begs him to help. Amazingly he does and calls the destination airport who agree to let the child in. Made the plane late and is a high risk strategy though!!
🙄
Rivermonsters · 15/02/2022 18:18

@Satingreenshutters bro she’s under a lot of stress, she clearly doesn’t mean it

Topseyt · 15/02/2022 18:19

@refusetobeasheep

my colleague was stopped at the gate yesterday as her youngest boy's passport runs out late April. Refused boarding. All kids with her in tears. She can see the pilot and begs him to help. Amazingly he does and calls the destination airport who agree to let the child in. Made the plane late and is a high risk strategy though!!
Utter bollocks.
Veryworried22 · 15/02/2022 18:25

@refusetobeasheep

my colleague was stopped at the gate yesterday as her youngest boy's passport runs out late April. Refused boarding. All kids with her in tears. She can see the pilot and begs him to help. Amazingly he does and calls the destination airport who agree to let the child in. Made the plane late and is a high risk strategy though!!
🤣 and then you woke up.
SmorgasBorb · 15/02/2022 18:31

@refusetobeasheep

my colleague was stopped at the gate yesterday as her youngest boy's passport runs out late April. Refused boarding. All kids with her in tears. She can see the pilot and begs him to help. Amazingly he does and calls the destination airport who agree to let the child in. Made the plane late and is a high risk strategy though!!
What absolute bollocks. The pilot has no jurisdiction over immigration and border control! What did he do? March them up to to passport control when they arrived and demand to immigration staff that they let this poor distressed family in in the name of kindness?

Also 'she could see the pilot so begged him', from the gate aye? The pilot would have been miles away in the cockpit. If they were denied boarding then they wouldn't have seen the pilot full stop! They can't then squeeze through to go and remonstrate with the bloody pilot!

Honestly!

amatsip · 15/02/2022 18:35

I had this a few years back and got an emergency appt at London passport office and a same day issue but that was only because flight was already booked and I had to bring proof of flight tickets. My child’s has 10 weeks left on it at the time. They stated clearly they couldn’t guarantee same day all the way through the times they called me back up to the desk but relented after everything checked out. If you do try at main passport office have everything to hand.

SmorgasBorb · 15/02/2022 18:35

@refusetobeasheep

wow, well my colleague is now in France so somehow she managed it!
They all had valid passports in the first place and she has made this up for attention or to make you think that she is special enough to have negotiating power with pilots and an entire country's immigration laws. Hmm
oncemoreunto · 15/02/2022 18:36

We have non-immigrant visas which may change things but our dc were allowed to travel between the UK and USA at Xmas despite their passports having less then three months on them.( which was the amount of time it states is needed online)

So in some circumstances it is obviously waived.

Peregrina · 15/02/2022 18:38

You need the transplant - OP didn't check passport expiry - that has ZERO to do with brexit.

No need to be so rude to the OP. The OP checked the child's passport expiry date. Prior to Brexit (or up to the end of the Transition period) - absolutely fine, but she would have needed to make a note to herself to sort out the renewal soon after getting back.

Now because of Brexit, not fine. Now we can't even take the end date as printed on the passport as being correct if we added the extra months on.

Never mind how it didn't affect people going to Australia or Turkey or wherever - they were never in the EU. The UK was.

Delatron · 15/02/2022 18:39

Another way to get caught out is the issue date. If it’s more than 10 years (even if you have 7,8,9 months left on it) you will be refused boarding.

So don’t just check expiry date, check the issue date is less than 10 years. This is new since Brexit abs hasn’t been well publicised, catching lots out.

dementedpixie · 15/02/2022 18:42

@oncemoreunto

We have non-immigrant visas which may change things but our dc were allowed to travel between the UK and USA at Xmas despite their passports having less then three months on them.( which was the amount of time it states is needed online)

So in some circumstances it is obviously waived.

your UK passport only needs to be valid for the length of your stay for going to the USA
Peregrina · 15/02/2022 18:46

So don’t just check expiry date, check the issue date is less than 10 years. This is new since Brexit abs hasn’t been well publicised, catching lots out.

It changed before we officially left the EU, but well after A50 was enacted, so no doubt in anticipation of becoming a third country. But it was barely highlighted at all - it only got some publicity when people started complaining to the moneysavingexpert about the extra months not being added on.

It wasn't quite the sort of Brexit bonus the Government wanted us to know about.

gunnersgold · 15/02/2022 18:51

In the past you had to go to London and get it done there and then . Can't you book an appointment or plan to go there .. even if you get on the plane the Spanish will Unlikely let you in

AChocolateOrangeaday · 15/02/2022 18:58

@oncemoreunto Rules are completely different for the USA.

We have a bi-lateral agreement with them that allows travel right up to the expiry date of your passport.

Delatron · 15/02/2022 19:04

Yes @Peregrina it wasn’t highlighted at all. You’d assume if you have 7 months left on your passport it would be ok. My friend got caught out recently.

I wish it was publicised more. Awful to be turned away at the airport with a passport with months and months left on it! I fear lots will be caught out with this over summer.

Mylittlecoconuts · 15/02/2022 19:08

Pre covid my husband booked a surprise flight to spain do6r me and kids completely forgetting the baby didn't have a passport (she was 5 months).

I booked a fast track appointment and got a passport a couple days later (well inside a week)

FloBot7 · 15/02/2022 19:17

[quote gogohm]@Fluffyslippersohyes

You could travel to Ireland (maybe still can) without a passport but some airlines ask for them. Exh used his government id [/quote]
I remember when I was a child being able to use my bus pass 😂 not sure it's so acceptable these days

whatkatydid2013 · 15/02/2022 19:17

If it’s a week on Saturday there is an appointment in Liverpool this Friday that should get the passport back in time. If it’s this Saturday I think all you can do is try and move the holiday. It occurs to me that testing positive for COVID might be helpful in facilitating that if it isn’t automatically allowed at this point. I know so many people booking last minute half term breaks though that they’d quite possibly happily take it off you to sell to someone else for more

Darbs76 · 15/02/2022 19:19

Try if you want, but far better to reschedule for next school holidays as you won’t be allowed in even if the airline let you fly. They scan passports and check stuff like dates. Gone are the days you’re waved through flashing your passport. Very disappointing but not half as bad as being sent home at the airport

Minfilia · 15/02/2022 19:20

Yeah just to confirm they absolutely do check.

I got a polite reminder last month from cabin crew to renew mine when I travelled with 3 months and 8 days remaining on it!

WicketWoo · 15/02/2022 19:21

We had something similar (our child's had expired though). I got an appt at the passport office and begged and pleaded them to fast track it but they won't for a child to prevent child smuggling.

Ours ended up coming after about 5 days and home and child got a later flight and missed the first bit of the holiday.

Sorry - not what you wanted to hear

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