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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
newname12345 · 17/02/2022 11:45

[quote HelloFrostyMorning]@Jaxxy

Pre Brexit, you might have got away with it as they Spanish authorities just glanced at your passport and waved you through.

It has NEVER been like this. I have travelled to Spain MANY times since the early 1990s, and they have never just waved you through without checking your passport. What a load of nonsense![/quote]
Back then there wasn't the same level of checking as passports weren't electronic scanned and I definitely remember literally being waved through immigration (within europe) without my passport being really checked.

Maybe you look suspicious if your passport was fully checked each time?

HelloFrostyMorning · 17/02/2022 11:48

This reply has been deleted

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

HelloFrostyMorning · 17/02/2022 11:50

@newname12345

Maybe you look suspicious if your passport was fully checked each time?

Yeah, no doubt it was the massive amount of cocaine wrapped in little plastic bags around my waist.

Nothing to do with the fact that I was in customs at the airport, and I was travelling from abroad, into - and out of their country.

Queenbee77 · 17/02/2022 11:56

I would actually offer to take your son for his passport and have him stay with us( i have a DBS doc)...in Derbyshire.... and take him to airport a couple days late if it makes any difference. If you can cover most expenses ? I really feel for you. They may take pity on you at passport control if you are getting him a passport whilst on hols at nearest embassy.......

Toanewstart23 · 17/02/2022 11:58

@Queenbee77

I would actually offer to take your son for his passport and have him stay with us( i have a DBS doc)...in Derbyshire.... and take him to airport a couple days late if it makes any difference. If you can cover most expenses ? I really feel for you. They may take pity on you at passport control if you are getting him a passport whilst on hols at nearest embassy.......
Wtaf
caz198917 · 17/02/2022 12:07

@Queenbee77

I would actually offer to take your son for his passport and have him stay with us( i have a DBS doc)...in Derbyshire.... and take him to airport a couple days late if it makes any difference. If you can cover most expenses ? I really feel for you. They may take pity on you at passport control if you are getting him a passport whilst on hols at nearest embassy.......
Yes. No problem kind stranger I will leave my child with you. Thank you so much 🤣 you can't be serious?
Toanewstart23 · 17/02/2022 12:11

She can’t be a parent
Although I looked at history and apparently used a frozen embryo at 58 years old to have a baby
Either way - it’s the most ridiculous suggestion I’ve ever seen. Not kind. Ridiculous

LittleBearPad · 17/02/2022 12:12

@HelloFrostyMorning

Blaming Brexit is both hilarious and ludicrous in equal measures.

That's like your local pharmacy that has been open 9am til 5.30pm since it opened 30 years ago, deciding to close at 4.30pm now because so few people come after that.

So in January 2019, they put notices all over the store, saying 'we will be closing at 4.30pm from now on, from 31st October 2019.'

You can't go in there, or get your meds, or anything from the checkout without seeing one of these signs.

Then around mid November 2019, you rock up to the pharmacy at 5pm on a Saturday, and they're shut. They'd publicised it (for nine months) that they were shutting at 4.30pm, but you forgot, and have made the journey to get there, and now you can't get your meds til Monday.

SO whose fault is it?

YOURS.

They changed the opening times after 30 years of being there, and now close at 4.30pm instead of 5.30pm as they have done all along, but it was advertised for NINE MONTHS beforehand.

They close early now, but you KNEW about it. You just forgot. It's not their fault.

The same thing applies to this. EVERYONE KNEW that you'd need 3 months or more on your passport, on the day you RETURN from your trip to Europe, once we were out of the EU.

This has been common knowledge for almost SIX YEARS.

To blame Brexit is farcical and pathetic.

That said, I honestly, HONESTLY cannot imagine ANYONE doing this in real life. This only ever happens on Mumsnet. Does this really happened in real life??? People booking a holiday for their family (them, their DH and their kids,) and then discovering TWO DAYS before they go, that their son's passport only has 2 months left on it?

I mean, come on, who DOES that? Wink

Apart from the fact that in the case the ‘pharmacy’ didn’t put up big signs. They didn’t really mention it in advance.

Then they slipped out info in the quietest way possible that was incorrect.

Then they pretended nothing had changed.

Then they went ummm

Toanewstart23 · 17/02/2022 12:12

Can you imagine how the son would feel?!

Oh but it’s alright because she’s dbs checked

Me too - hooray I don’t have a criminal record!

Hexagonmum · 17/02/2022 12:13

@Queenbee77

I would actually offer to take your son for his passport and have him stay with us( i have a DBS doc)...in Derbyshire.... and take him to airport a couple days late if it makes any difference. If you can cover most expenses ? I really feel for you. They may take pity on you at passport control if you are getting him a passport whilst on hols at nearest embassy.......
🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
Toanewstart23 · 17/02/2022 12:16

And the suggestion to go to the embassy whilst on holiday to get your son a passport and hope passport take pity on you?

I mean
No words
I’d sooner never ever go on holiday for the rest of my life

SapphosRock · 17/02/2022 12:51

@Queenbee77

I would actually offer to take your son for his passport and have him stay with us( i have a DBS doc)...in Derbyshire.... and take him to airport a couple days late if it makes any difference. If you can cover most expenses ? I really feel for you. They may take pity on you at passport control if you are getting him a passport whilst on hols at nearest embassy.......
Is this an open offer or just to the OP?

Do you collect? DC are approximately a 6 hour drive from Derbyshire, happy to pay for petrol.

Are your rates inflated for half term?

Thanks in advance.

Peregrina · 17/02/2022 13:40

So in January 2019, they put notices all over the store, saying 'we will be closing at 4.30pm from now on, from 31st October 2019.'

Or in practice, what the pharmacy did in January 2019, was put a notice on the door saying that 'after 25th December 2018 we will close at 4.30. So why don't you know.?'

Because this is effectively what they did with the extra months added on: stopped adding it on after 10th September, initially swore that nothing had changed and then had to admit that it had. See my earlier post by the money saving expert.

This has been common knowledge for almost SIX YEARS.
To blame Brexit is farcical and pathetic.

And this is absolute nonsense, because for most of the time until Johnson got his 'Great Deal' they were constantly talking of walking out without a deal. Eventually something was cobbled together at the last moment, but the end result was that it was too late to publish the rules and clarify areas of potential misunderstanding. If they had been negotiating in good faith from the off, then these sorts of changes could have been publicised fully. But telling people that things were worse after Brexit does not square with the Good Deal.

rosesareredandpink · 17/02/2022 13:55

You’re incredibly rude OP.

PAFMO · 17/02/2022 13:58

Who had a baby at 58?
Has the thread suddenly taken an interesting turn?

Btw, the FCO won't comment on passports and their validity as passports are the jurisdiction of the Home Office.

Toanewstart23 · 17/02/2022 14:06

@PAFMO

Who had a baby at 58? Has the thread suddenly taken an interesting turn?

Btw, the FCO won't comment on passports and their validity as passports are the jurisdiction of the Home Office.

The poster offering for the OP to drop her son with her whilst the Op goes on holiday and tries to get her son a passport from the embassy out there

Yes, really

PAFMO · 17/02/2022 14:33

@Toanewstart23
Was the father a hi-viz airline pilot?

VanGoghsDog · 17/02/2022 14:50

That said, I honestly, HONESTLY cannot imagine ANYONE doing this in real life. This only ever happens on Mumsnet. Does this really happened in real life??? People booking a holiday for their family (them, their DH and their kids,) and then discovering TWO DAYS before they go, that their son's passport only has 2 months left on it?

I mean, come on, who DOES that?

Well, yes. Not me, but ex did it. He insisted on booking the whole holiday without any input from me. Fine. He messed it all up, one way or another (stupid early crossing, booked a family room at Premier Inn (not acceptable as dss not my child and was 15), left it too late so we couldn't go where we wanted, booked three different places for a one week holiday and didn't check the distance between so we spent twelve hours on the road on one day of the holiday with dss having a major grump in the back seat) and we got in the car the day we were setting off, I picked up the folder of docs, opened dss passport and it was out of date by about three months. Properly out of date. Not my responsibility at all. But yeah, it happens.

Mydietstartstomorrow · 17/02/2022 15:10

I know the op has apparently disappeared but really, surely when you book the holiday you see the dates on the passports?? And this isn’t a new rule, I had to renew my passport early due to the change in rules 3 years ago so it’s been around a while. Don’t really know what the op was looking for other than - “yeah the very nice aviation staff just laughed off my expired passport, slapped me on the back and said have a great time, hope the weathers fine” 🙄

CHIRIBAYA · 17/02/2022 15:48

Of course everybody checks the dates on their passports when they book a holiday, and the dates on their EHIC's, and nobody every forgets to renew their driving licences, or pay their credit cards on time, or submit their meter readings, HMRC returns or any number of endless things we have to keep on top of. I mean HONESTLY, cannot imagine ANYONE doing this in real life. I mean come on, who DOES that?

Meanwhile, back in the real world.....

Some very sad folks on here who obviously relish the misfortunes of others.

Kate0902900908 · 17/02/2022 16:29

This happened to my friend she managed to change the holiday was a package holiday using the Covid guarantee. She just went online and changed it that’s was with TUI. So sorry

Peregrina · 17/02/2022 16:34

Was the father a hi-viz airline pilot?

Or was the pilot who supposedly bent the rules Boris Johnson in Pilot's uniform, promising that it would be OK to break the rules?

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 17/02/2022 17:14

@girasol
This is easily solved ~ just take tens years from issue date to be safe. The extra added for early renewal was generally only ever a short period anyway but it’s really easy to avoid any issues by checking before booking a holiday. I can’t believe you’re still trying to pretend that it’s unavoidable in some way - that’s ridiculous and clearly most people manage it.

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 17/02/2022 17:23

And generally, entering a Schengen country when whole crowds of people were disgorging from flights, a quick whizz through the EU gates and you were away. Now you have to stop and have your passport stamped, just like the old days. I am currently in Schengen country - upon arrival we used the EU automated passport gates. No-one has stamped my passport.

notimagain · 17/02/2022 17:31

@daimbarsatemydogsbone

And generally, entering a Schengen country when whole crowds of people were disgorging from flights, a quick whizz through the EU gates and you were away. Now you have to stop and have your passport stamped, just like the old days. I am currently in Schengen country - upon arrival we used the EU automated passport gates. No-one has stamped my passport.
Uk Passport holders without local residency rights are definitely having their passports stamped at a some Schengen zone airports..and it looks like conformance with the 90 180 rule is monitored, whether your passport is stamped or you go through an e-gate