Due to travel on Sunday, just found out 5 year old sons passport isn’t valid due to brexit HELP

[Shinebright21]

So due to travel to France and Italy via rail from this Sunday.

Mine, my husband and daughters passport are all valid. My sons expires on 31st July and I was under the impression you can travel, until the expiry date and we are back way before then.

Do we cancel and use our insurance to claim the money back, or just risk it and go and see what happens at the border?

Feeling utterly miserable

Op I really hope you get this sorted. These new rules are a nightmare compounded by the current nightmare that is the passport service.

But we cant use them for the whole ten years, so each renewal loses 3 months at least by the sounds of it.

I don’t know what to say except this happened to us in March & it was absolutely fine. DC had 6 weeks left on the passport. No one batted an eyelid.

I think you may have just gotten lucky. The rules are that you need 3 months to travel to Europe, so the OP may get lucky and no one notices or cares, or she may get unlucky and they are refused travel. It’s a pretty big risk to take!

It's shit, OP, and I'm so sorry that you will lose your holiday. The change in rules was in the news for a while but it's easy to miss this stuff when you're busy. Ignore all the critics on here who are probably getting snarky with you because you have dared to point out yet another of the negative consequences of Brexit. Much easier to blame it on your inability to check rather than to acknowledge that the rules have changed and it's pants!!

i should add I rang the passport office and also began an application for a new passport (it stays open for 60ish days I believe) because I knew a new one wouldn’t arrive in time. We didn’t try to hide it!

if we got lucky… we got lucky a LOT. We went to France, then Belgium, back into France, flew to Canada, did 2 internal flights & then back to U.K.

@bellac11 But we cant use them for the whole ten years, so each renewal loses 3 months at least by the sounds of it.

You can though. It just means the last three months need to be spent in Europe. Once you’re back and the passport has expired run, then you can replace it.

Think about it though- blue passports have only been around for a couple of years. Nobody will have one that is close to only having 6 months left on it. Everyone who has reported being turned away for reason of invalid passport must have a burgundy EU one.

@bellac11 has a point.
This is from the Gov website, re EU and various other countries: '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’)

So you have to have 3 months left on your passport at the end of your trip for EU & a few other countries (6 months for some).
So you can't just 'spend the last 3 months 'in Europe', you have to be back in the UK while you still have at least 3 months left on your passport (Or 6 if that's what your destination requires).

No, it’s 3 months after you return to the UK. I think this point is also confusing “3 months after you leave” means 3 months after you leave Europe not 3 months after you leave the UK.

I just wanted to say - this thread has made me laugh and cry at the same time. Thank you so much for all the lovely and supportive messages - I have joined the Twitter passport alerts and I’m heading down to my local passport office tommorow armed with filled out forms and documents. I will absolutely try my best!

i think my husband I have decided that if the passport can arrive early next week, we will split the trip. The holiday is for two weeks, I’ll head out first with my youngest (did) and he will follow on my with my son a day or two later. If we get no luck with the passport, we will lose the holiday - but it’s something we just have to prepare for.

Thanks so much everyone (again!) for the sympathy and advice!

Can you say you have Covid and postpone holiday for a couple of months whilst you sort out passport?

I have been waiting for child passport renewal since end of April. Still waiting.

I applied last Monday for all our passports, the first two came back today. I used normal online application, small delay as I had to take more photos and upload. If there's an option to fast track you may be able to get a new one in time or with a small delay.
Good luck, being a parent means some balls sometimes get dropped, you're only human 🙃

if we got lucky… we got lucky a LOT. We went to France, then Belgium, back into France, flew to Canada, did 2 internal flights & then back to U.K.

You got lucky in the EU countries.

Canada only requires your passport to be valid for the duration of your trip - there’s no 3 month / 6 month requirement.

ttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/data-scientist-found-way-beat-passport-renewal-queue-save/

Is this of any use to you?

Good luck OP

Nothing to go with Brexit -has always been the rule -you should change your misleading thread title

Good luck op. I hope you manage to get the passport.

No it hasn’t “always been the rule”.

Pre Brexit, as EU nationals, there was no requirement for UK citizens to have 3 or 6 months left on your passport on the day you leave the EU country.

Post Brexit, the UK is now a third country.

So yes, Brexit is a factor.

If by some miracle you can get a premium appointment - if you go to the website it says to check back later. If you keep refreshing it appointments do come up but unfortunately probably not early enough for you to travel. I had a one-week appointment a few weeks ago. I went on Friday and got the passports on Tuesday afternoon through the letterbox.

Good luck @Shinebright21

Even the best of get caught out OP, good luck today and I hope you manage to get it sorted.

I applied for DS passport as it had expired (also went from child to adult) online application and took 13 days to arrive, I was really impressed. Colleague also had similar with their DS passport.

Best get down to the passport office first thing and join the queue

You have no choice but to postpone unfortunately. They won’t let him travel if there’s not 3 months remaining now. I’m sure you must be gutted. You can get an emergency appointment but that’s probably 3wks now (every day more are released) but as you know big delays at passport office. Some passport renewals are back after 2wks, but either way that’s after you travel.’

You can’t do that, you need an appointment