To ask someone else tired than me to help me interpret this passport rule?

[Passportpondery]

I’ve read so much conflicting info… and I’m tired. But I believe my passport to be usable for a trip to France in December. Travel agency is recommend 6 months left on it rather than 3… but I believe even with 6 months I’m ok.

Can someone check I’m applying rules correctly!
Printed on passport:
Valid from date: May 13
Expiry date: Feb 24

Gov.Uk site :
Your passport must be:

Issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’)

valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)

You must check your passport meets these requirements before you travel. If your passport was issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date.

I believe it works as ten years from May 13 would be useable until May 23.
And the 3 month rule (or 6 if following travel agency advice) applies to my EXPIRY date of Feb 24, and not the date of May 23.

The "extra months" are worthless when travelling as only 10 years are valid from the date of issue.
So your expiry is actually May 23, I'd apply the 6 (or 3) month rule to May 23 and not your extended months.

I agree with you . But how long is your trip? Just within Dec 22 or are you staying a while?

But that isn’t what the Gov.Uk site says.

I was doing the same as you. But I believe after reading official guidance that the 3/6 months comes from the printed expiry date.

You can do a check online:

How to check if my passport is valid online UK
There are a few ways to check the validity of your passport. The most obvious way, of course, would be to look on the first page of your British Passport. Finding the passport’s expiration date is usually easy. It’s on the data page, which is the first page of most passports. The date of issue and expiration of your passport are both printed on this page, which you can view by scrolling down to find them.

Another way to check (if you don’t have your passport with you) is to go to the UK government website and use their passport checking tool. This tool will tell you if your passport is still valid and when it expires.
Another way to check the validity of your passport is by contacting your nearest British embassy or consulate. They will be able to tell you if your passport is still valid and when it expires.
If you have a valid UK passport, it will be valid for 10 years from the date of issue. Your passport will also be valid for entry into the UK until the expiry date shown on your passport.
If you have a valid passport but it is about to expire, you may be able to renew your passport before it expires. For more information on how to renew your passport, contact us here.

Thank you. It’s just 4 days early December.

I think you're right if you were applying the extra time at the start (so you'd count 10 years from Feb 14 not May 13), but not at the end. The Expiry Date is the expiry date.

Sorry meant to quote "Ermnothankyou".

I think it's fine for your trip but I'd take the expiry date as being May 23 just to be on the safe side (so it's still valid for travel to EU in December but maybe not in April)

Your passport is valid until May 2023. Then count 6 months back, so if for example it’s valid until 15 May 2023 you can travel up to15 Nov 2022.
However the rule for France seems to be 3 months so you can travel up to 15 Feb 2023 which means you would be fine to travel with it in December.

Why is it only valid until May 23? The Gov.UK site I posted says count from the expiry date which is Feb 24. It doesn’t say apply the ten year rule and then count back 3 months from this new date, disregarding your printed expiry.

Is there a date of issue rather than "valid from" date on your passport? As that is what the government advice counts the 10 years from.

The government checker was taken offline due to inaccuracy!

I found a non official one but it simply asked tor my “expiry date”. It didn’t tell me whether to input my printed expiry (which says I’m fine to travel) or to make up a new one based on ten years from the start date (which says travel isn’t recommended).

It will expire in May 2023, 3 months before that is February 2023. You’ll be fine, having extra is just a precaution. Expiry dates on older UK passports should be ignored - it’s 10 years from issue date.

Yes date of issue sorry not valid from.

date of issue May 13
Expiry date Feb 24

So my ten years is up in May 23 and it can’t be used in Europe. However it’s valid until Feb 24 and can be used in other countries who don’t have a 10 year rule, and can be used as UK ID until this date.

Can you find an official site that tells you to ignore the printed expiry?

I can’t find one and yet it’s what most prepped believe you now do.

Here’s an example if it helps - dd’s passport was issued in Feb 18 with an expiry of May 18 (child passport). She travelled to France using it last week, I have now ordered a new one because it will no longer be valid after this month to go to the EU. She used it with no issues last week though.

It'll depend on the country you're visiting but the vast majority will only accept 10 years from the date issued, hence the problem people keep running into. Many countries will disregard the extra months and if the requirement is 3 or 6 months validity on them they will just do 9y6m or 9y9m from date of issue. Check the relevant country you're going to if you have concerns.

Sorry I mean ‘an expiry of May 23’

Are you asking about travelling to France with your passport? Or about the expiration date in general?

post Brexit, for France and most European countries, it needs to be issued within the last 10 years. So count May 2023 as your expiry date.

but if you were going to Ireland for example, you’d be fine up until 2024.

this might be helpful: www.which.co.uk/news/article/eu-passport-renewal-expiry-rules-uk-aRaVG6j5PpyJ

Details here www.thetraveljournalist.co.uk/renewing-your-passport/
You can still use it as UK ID and you’ll be fine for your December trip. Travel companies encourage you to have extra as if you are close to expiry sometimes immigration decide to do extra checks or in case of an emergency meaning you’d be required to stay there longer. Have all your details of hotels and return flights printed and ready to show in case this happens.

Thing is, op, if someone decides it isn't valid, then you are not boarding the plane.
You'll be fine for December though, as it's a 3 month validity which even from May23 is fine.
After that though, really you are trusting an airport crew member, for example, to understand your point.
You could be right, but still stuck at the airport

It doesn’t say in this article whether the 3/6 months is being counted from the printed passport expiry, or the “new” expiry that’s created by counting 10 years from expiry.

I got caught out, the 6 months is not the expiry date, it effectively means 9 year 6 months from the issue date if that makes sense.

Passports are now only valid for 10 years. Counted from the valid from date. The printed expiry date is not valid within the EU if it is over 10 years from the valid from date. The extra months are discounted.

But as France allows you to enter with 3 months left you are ok to travel until Feb 23. You cannot enter the EU on the passport after this date and need to renew.