To shout at everyont to CHECK YOUR PASSPORT ISSUE DATE!! Not the expiry date...

[FusionChefGeoff]

I used to work in travel for fucks sake.

Both DH and my passports are not valid for our upcoming holiday to France as they are issued more than 10 years ago as of last week. They are both 'in date' if you look at the expiry date - but I completely forgot / missed the fact that doesn't matter any more.

Your passport MUST be less thatn 10 years old based on the issue date for you to travel to the EU.

Luckily, I can go to Peterborough on Monday and there are appointments for a 1 day service but fuck me £450 for 2 passports.....

Thank God I checked today and not the day before we leave.

Jesus I am still shaking. Hope I can help someone else avoid a holiday disaster with this public safety warning.

Where were you when Martin Lewis was screaming this 🤔

Schegan and EU aren't the same thing. The UK was never in the Schnegan area.

As well as Switzerland, three other countries - Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein - are Schengen members without being in the EU.

Every week I see an article on FB with a sad couple or family who have been turned away at cruise port or airport for not having in date passports due to the issue date rule. I am terrified I'll mess up with one of the 5 of us!!

My passport was issued 20 April 2016 and it's expiry date is 20 Sept 2026. I must have applied for renewal a bit early and they added on the difference.

This means I can't travel on it to the EU after 20 January 2026 because it has to have 3 months validity after the date of travel.

Yep. It was always possible for the UK to leave the EU and still keep its citizens' rights by remaining in the EEA, or by negotiating reciprocal rights with the EU on behalf of its remaining membership countries, as Switzerland did. The UK government of the day when the Brexit referendum vote was returned yelled FUCK YOU EVERYBODY !!!!! and left the EEA without any kind of mandate, and in fact in direct contravention of their then-current manifesto, which said that they would offer a referendum on staying in or leaving the EU (a legit political question) but also pledged to keep the UK in the European Single Market. They failed to uphold their promise, and until they deal with and explain and apologise for this failure, the Conservatives should be out of power in the UK, full stop.

I actually didn’t know this so thank you OP - even though there have been loads of threads you may catch a few who haven’t seen them like me!

I think it's one of those things that I'm aware of but don't think about. Don't travel to Europe very often, have not checked my passport recently and last renewed it in 2017. Will I remember if we're booking a foreign trip in 2027?

Thanks @FusionChefGeoff I didn't know this

It works both ways, we don't accept French passports issued over 10 years ago either. We chose to make our lives difficult

I know - I'm a fallible human - who knew??

And I said I 'USED' to work in travel - now only go abroad once a year for a family holiday hence I am out of practice at this sort of stuff and just mistakenly assumed everything was hunky dory.

The point is to flag this to any other humans who may be in a similar position but still have time to fix it...life is busy, perimenopause rips our memory and executive function to shreds so take it easy everyone, hey?

It's all turned out OK in the end for us thankfully

I am not under the illusion that I am such a wonderfully unique being that no one in the history of the universe will ever make the same mistake that I have just made so hopefully this thread might bump someone else to check / renew in time.

Im astounded you dont know this. It has been widely publicised for years.
Of course it has but sometimes thimgs get missed in the hustle amd bustle in everyday life especially if you don't travel a lot.

Well I'm grateful, I checked ours and DHs wouldn't have been valid for our October holiday, so he's getting a replacement one sorted tomorrow!

Nor me - I wasn't one of the gullible ones who listened to Boris, farage and their mates

Why are you shaking? Are you prone to dramatic behaviour?

Thanks @FusionChefGeoff. I just checked mine became it expires next year. The day and month of issue and expiry are exactly the same ten years apart.

I couldn't find my passport two days before I was due to go on holiday a few years ago, and yes, I was shaking! I didn't know if I could get a replacement in time, if I'd messed up and would lose my holiday with no refund, then the cost! Absolute shocker.

Another Brexhit consequence. How fucking stupid can the English be? Not one person can give me one positive outcome of Brexit.

Yes it’s changed. I’ve just got a new one. My old one was valid until Aug 2025, issued in May 2015. That was because the previous one was valid until Aug 2015 so you were given all your passport validity, so to speak. You got your full ten years plus the few extra months. I renewed this year in April and it is just valid for exactly ten years from the date of issue.

There's no need to be nasty. Most people facing the fact that they've very nearly lost a lot of money with no prospect of a refund because it was entirely their own mistake would be a bit shaken. If you are so wealthy or chilled that you would be unmoved by losing what could easily be thousands of pounds, lucky old you.

Eh! Why is that so strange?

If you have just discovered your passport or other documentation is invalid and you have a holiday coming up, presumably one you have been looking forward to and made plans to do things while you were there, aside from the cost, it's not unreasonable to be shaking. I get the shakes when I am stressed.

To be fair, it was mainly Macron who destroyed our relationship with the EU. The other countries weren't too bad.

DH and I have both got those old passports, DHs needs renewing now and mine next year, I knew but I don't think DH did as I had to explain to him about it recently so not everyone knows.

I can verify that I was also shaking at the check in desk when the assistant wrongly told me I wouldn't be able to fly to the USA because my passport only had two months left. It's involuntary.😂

I actually didn't know this! Thank you.

Fucking Brexit.
Loved being in the super long queue for passport checks to go to France a few weeks ago, while EU passport gates completely empty. Actually did love some woman behind me moaning about it the whole way. When she moaned at me I said 'Don't blame me, I voted remain', and she said 'Oh I was leave, but this isn't our fault, the French just hate us' 🙃