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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:
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6
Oblomov22 · 15/02/2022 13:19

Tbf to OP, I've just looked on the fast track child with Neale and the first appointment is Friday unless you live in Belfast or Glasgow.

You might be better just to post it! It could come back quicker just on the ordinary service!

Scalottia · 15/02/2022 13:22

@Triffid1 - how it is unexpected that a passport will expire? I mean, the expiry date is written right on there? Sorry, just don't understand this kind of thinking, especially if you are thinking of booking an international holiday, wouldn't you check that that the passport meets the requirements for the country that you are travelling to? Especially for younger kids who aren't old enough to responsibly manage this themselves.

Very disappointing for your son OP, but unfortunately the rules around this are quite strict. Hopefully you can change your holiday and get the passport sorted.

Phormiumjester · 15/02/2022 13:25

It's now 3.5 weeks since I posted my children's passports for renewal! Sorry, you've no chance!

Spain won't allow it. We checked as we had just under 6 on return flight.

chiickenandchiips · 15/02/2022 13:27

My friend was refused travel at the check in desk for this reason, they do check the expiry date and how long left to that date.

I wouldn't chance it it would be far more stressful and upsetting being turned away at the airport.

Hersetta427 · 15/02/2022 13:28

The airline will be fined if they let you board. You won't be allowed unfortunately.

Phormiumjester · 15/02/2022 13:28

@Phormiumjester

It's now 3.5 weeks since I posted my children's passports for renewal! Sorry, you've no chance!

Spain won't allow it. We checked as we had just under 6 on return flight.

That was in response to @Oblomov22 re just posting it, in case it wasn't clear!
Topseyt · 15/02/2022 13:29

I think all posters have been trying to help you, OP. I think you were very rude to a couple of them who had only reiterated the rules and how there were no exceptions.

I think you lost a lot of sympathy at that point. You lost practically all of mine, although I do understand that you have had a shock and are stressed about it, as anyone would be.

Passports are scanned electronically at airports now as far as I can see, not just visually inspected. It WILL flag up. He won't be allowed to travel.

Personally, I would try to rebook the holiday to buy yourself some time. Perhaps there is availability for the school Easter holidays still? There might be a charge for doing that, but you may well have no choice but to suck it up

Then, get a face to face appointment and sort all passport issues asap.

I have donned my hard hat in anticipation of your response.

Seriously though, I really do hope that you can get something suitable sorted.

grapewine · 15/02/2022 13:33

Of course it's Brexit - Brexit has caused a change to the rules. What would have been a perfectly valid passport is now not valid.

It's shit for you all, but Brexit was two years ago. It's normal to check your passport when booking or in good time before travelling to be sure.

I'd try to move the holiday.

Namechangehereandnow · 15/02/2022 13:33

@2022success

As PP have said, there is no way your DC will be allowed on the flight.

I would rebook the whole thing for later dates. I assume you have travel insurance? Would it cover you if you say you have Covid?

Really?? Funnily enough, most people, and industries, frown upon insurance fraud 🤨 Then there’s the small matter of proving you have Covid 🤨 Ffs get a grip
Sammysquiz · 15/02/2022 13:34
  • I don't think you were rude OP. You know the guidelines and the rules and were asking if anyone had been in this situation and what they'd done

Id get cross if people were telling me information i was already fully aware of and had said so

People like to be dicks on here, makes them feel better about themselves I assume*

But the OP didn’t say in her first post that she knew the law was that there had to be 3 months remaining.

CharlotteRose90 · 15/02/2022 13:35

I work at the airport and the first thing we do is check expiry op. They won’t check you and you’ll be sent to the ticket desk or sales desk of whichever airline your meant to be flying. Then at the desk they’ll tell you to get a new passport and then ring and book a new flight once you’ve sorted it. If it’s a package deal and you want to re book for a later date they might be able to do it for a charge or if part of your party want to go and leave dc behind you can. You definitely won’t be able to travel and if I were you I wouldn’t waste my time going to the airport I’d just ring the airline direct and advise you won’t be travelling and tell them why.

Blondeshavemorefun · 15/02/2022 13:35

@olympicsrock

Thanks Jiving…. Just seeing that the appointments available do change so I will keep checking. Prob the best I can hope for.

Trying to come up with a plan B, C and D.
B - DH and DS2 go and DS1 And I try to join them for the last few days if passport arrives?
C Three of us go and DS to stay with best friend??
D All stay at home ??

E yiu cancel and move to Easter ot may ht or take out from school and be fined
RedHelenB · 15/02/2022 13:40

Did ds' online and was back within a week. They keep you posted on each step.

Mychitchatdays · 15/02/2022 13:43

There is a slim possibility Spain immigration may accept you, however you would need to turn up to the airport on the day and wait for a handling agent to call them. Before brexit I would say they would except a child like this 4 out of 10 times. After brexit I've only had them accepted 1.

balalake · 15/02/2022 13:46

I think you need to see if you can move the holiday to another date. Plan C seems a bit harsh, unless your visit was say to an elderly relative who lived where you were going to.

I'm feeling very smug about ordering my new passport after I checked on Saturday, otherwise I'd have been in your shoes in July.

Phormiumjester · 15/02/2022 13:46

@RedHelenB

Did ds' online and was back within a week. They keep you posted on each step.
They do keep you updated however - both of ours went to different addresses of the passport office. Both took 5 working days from the post office trace saying the old passport had been received to the passport office itself saying they had received it. They acknowledged receipt of one on 3rd and one on the 4th and still not received the new ones - they are with TNT apparently. The "back within a week" isn't a given at the minute.
VeganVampire · 15/02/2022 13:47

Bit of a gamble, but I did an online child renewal last month. Filled form in and posted old passport on the Friday afternoon, received new passport the following Friday morning.

Bear65 · 15/02/2022 13:49

You need to be checking the website every 30mins - appointments come on at random times and be prepared to travel to a Passport Office

Redroceritsover · 15/02/2022 13:53

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

SNUG2022 · 15/02/2022 13:53

Good luck op!

FairyLightAddict · 15/02/2022 13:56

In December I booked a face to face appointment for my son and I got the passport in 4 days. Good luck!

TyrannosaurusRegina · 15/02/2022 13:57

"But as PP said, what can anyone say other than the rules don't allow it? Any anecdotes of people managing it would by definition be unusual one offs even if they did exist, and therefore not something OP could rely on. 'The law says they won't let you on the plane' is a perfectly valid response as the people OP is looking to hear from don't exist."

@Pedalpushers what they could have said is nothing seeing as they had no valuable input. She already knows the rules, she stated that. She asked a specific question, if they don't have the answer then why reply with something that she already knows and stated she that she already knows? It would be annoying to get notifications saying that there had been replies on your post, on your specific question, only to log on and find that it's just people parroting what you have said you are already aware of.

Starfish1021 · 15/02/2022 13:57

We will be refused boarding

Bu2014 · 15/02/2022 13:59

@olympicsrock

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?? We’re 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.

My husband had 11 weeks remaining on his passport and we were refused entry to Greece 4 years ago. Not covered by insurance. So sorry
harriethoyle · 15/02/2022 14:01

What you don't do @TyrannosaurusRegina is snap at people not to post again on your thread and tell them you can read, when they appear genuinely to be trying to help. However stressed op is by her mistake I suspect that's the point she lost a lot of sympathy and was just unnecessarily rude.

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