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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
WaterBottle123 · 15/02/2022 11:32

It's Tuesday, get an appointment for tomorrow and hope the passport arrives by Saturday? The passport office are really nice, if you tell them holiday date they'll rush it, even within the 7 days.

SingingSands · 15/02/2022 11:33

See if you can get an appointment at Glasgow - sometimes it's easier as Scottish/English school holidays don't match up (so poss less demand for that office this week). You can get the train really easily and have it sorted in a day.

harriethoyle · 15/02/2022 11:33

@daimbarsatemydogsbone Grin

Tittyfilarious81 · 15/02/2022 11:35

@olympicsrock you are correct op I've just looked and Liverpool does say 1 week for child passport but that might be the maximum time to allow

Original poster
olympicsrock · 15/02/2022 11:35

Water bottle - now an appointment on Friday but still 7 days to deliver according to lady at the passport office

OP posts:
Changes17 · 15/02/2022 11:37

Something similar happened to friends - one parent stayed behind with the child and joined the rest of the family once they had a new passport, and missed several days of the holiday but not all of it.

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 15/02/2022 11:40

@olympicsrock

Not rude just very stressed having found out that our family holiday is up shit creek. Very difficult situation. I’ve read the you gov website and phoned the passport office. Just clutching at straws and wanting personal experience of whether it would be worth attempting to travel on the understanding that two of us would then travel home if he was refused entry ( which is know is highly probable)

Sounds like they do check that the passport has enough time on it from these experiences. Bloody brexit

Sounds like they do check that the passport has enough time on it from these experiences. Bloody brexit Oddly enough, they used to check passports before Brexit. Not sure how Brexit has caused you to not bother checking passport requirements before booking a holiday.
User1isnotavailable · 15/02/2022 11:41

I was in this situation several years ago @olympicsrock I booked an appointment the other end of the country for the next day and went to it armed with all information. I then collected an hour or so later. It cost me but I did get to go away.

User1isnotavailable · 15/02/2022 11:42

PS @olympicsrock

Don't try to travel. They do check and getting turned around when you could and should get an appointment before Saturday is the correct way to deal with this.

User1isnotavailable · 15/02/2022 11:43

@olympicsrock

Water bottle - now an appointment on Friday but still 7 days to deliver according to lady at the passport office
I waited at the Liverpool passport office and went back in to collect the passport later. It wasn't posted to me.
dementedpixie · 15/02/2022 11:45

Before brexit the passport only needed to be valid for length of stay within Europe rather than have 3 extra months remaining so Brexit has changed things

Gilly12345 · 15/02/2022 11:45

I think he will be refused on the plane, we witnessed this happening to a family by us at the airport last time we travelled abroad in 2019.

Louisianagumbo · 15/02/2022 11:46

@daimbarsatemydogsbone

Five of us went for week and had forgotten to even take our passports with us but all the friendly officials said it was fine and just to remember them next time.
@daimbarsatemydogsbone. That made me laugh. 😂😂😂 But I'm not sure it's helpful for the op's stress. 😉
SpaceDetective · 15/02/2022 11:46

The requirement to have 3 months left on your passport when travelling to Europe is a requirement since Brexit, previously you just had to have a valid passport.

caringcarer · 15/02/2022 11:47

He won't be allowed to travel. You should always have 6 months valid time left on passport since Brexit.

haismfh · 15/02/2022 11:47

Sammy’s quiz and Triffid - please don’t comment further. I can read. I understand the rules

I appreciate you are really stressed but that was just so unbelievably rude. The two posters mentioned simply made a statement of fact - these are legal requirements.
You're not going to get anecdotes or tips on how to sneak past. The passport will be read by computer, computer says no, and your child will be denied boarding.

You could try to rearrange the holiday if you can't get a passport on time.

ChittyBangs · 15/02/2022 11:48

www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently/online-premium-service

You've probs seen this

HaveringWavering · 15/02/2022 11:48

OP I work in aviation law and often help airlines with customer complains when passenger s get upset about being denied boarding. They have a system called TIMATIC which the check in agents can see and which tells them what the entry requirements are. If they let someone board and they do not have the correct documentation that person will be sent back at the other end and the airline will be slapped with a chunky fine. They absolutely cannot bend the rules I’m afraid.

LilyTheSavage · 15/02/2022 11:48

I don't think the OP sounds rude at all, just very stressed trying to sort things out. Doesn't help when some people make unhelpful comments.
Good luck getting an appointment OP. Hope you can rescue some of your family holiday.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 15/02/2022 11:48

Not sure how Brexit has caused you to not bother checking passport requirements before booking a holiday

Before Brexit the passport would have been valid for the trip. That is the point - the rules have changed and people are being caught out.

AnEpisodeOfEastenders · 15/02/2022 11:51

@olympicsrock

Not rude just very stressed having found out that our family holiday is up shit creek. Very difficult situation. I’ve read the you gov website and phoned the passport office. Just clutching at straws and wanting personal experience of whether it would be worth attempting to travel on the understanding that two of us would then travel home if he was refused entry ( which is know is highly probable)

Sounds like they do check that the passport has enough time on it from these experiences. Bloody brexit

It's nothing to do with Brexit - this has always been the case. You can't travel on a passport that is due to expire as it doesn't allow for unforeseen travel delays for injury / sickness.
daimbarsatemydogsbone · 15/02/2022 11:51

@dementedpixie

Before brexit the passport only needed to be valid for length of stay within Europe rather than have 3 extra months remaining so Brexit has changed things
But passports were still checked prior to Brexit, so

Before Brexit - need to give everyone travelling's passport a glance to ensure it's not expiring.
After Brexit - need to give everyone travelling's passport a glance to ensure it's not expiring.

You still need to check before booking, just as you did before Brexit.

It's silly to blame Brexit.

650above · 15/02/2022 11:51

@ohhooh

I don't think you can blame brexit for you not checking your passports where in date?

I've seen it happen, refused entry at check in when they tried.

Pre Brexit, you could travel until your passport was out of date. Now the UK is a third country, you need 6 months validity before you go and a lot of people have been caught out by this change. So yes, another Brexit bonus.
daimbarsatemydogsbone · 15/02/2022 11:52

@LilyTheSavage

I don't think the OP sounds rude at all, just very stressed trying to sort things out. Doesn't help when some people make unhelpful comments. Good luck getting an appointment OP. Hope you can rescue some of your family holiday.
People are making unhelpful comments because OP was being ridiculous.
BlingLoving · 15/02/2022 11:53

Doesn't help when some people make unhelpful comments.

what on earth was unhelpful about saying it would not be possible to get on the flight without a valid passport? Unhelpful/unkind would be, "you're an idiot to even think it's possible. You deserve your bad luck."

OP, it's time to use the one week fast track service and hope it comes sooner. You and your DS may need to change flights and leave later. I'd not do any flight changing until closer to the time as the one week thing MIGHT be quicker than one week. Good luck.