EU 10 Year Passport Rule

[Carwash123]

Due to go on holiday in March this year to Spain. I have a passport that, when issued, had 10 years and a few months on it. It expires in June 2028. Am I correct in thinking that it will be ok to travel on this passport in March? A friend has said that because it was one of the passports issued with longer than 10 years that it will now but considered invalid. I have understood the rules to mean that it can’t be used after the 10 year mark despite the longer expiry date. Who is correct? I am happy to be wrong as I still have time (hopefully) to get a new one if needed!

It can't be used 10 years and 1 day after it was issued. So provided it wasn't issued earlier than March 2015 it should be fine.

Your friend is correct. It's now 10 years from the date of issue regardless of what expiry date is written on it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68675348

No - it was issued in 2018, possibly 2017. Either way it's fine for 2025!

Yes, agreed. The friend is trying to say the passport needs replacing with one that expires 10 years after issue.

You're correct. It needs to have been issued in the last ten years and be valid for at least 3 months after your date of return.
If it expires in June 2028 it was presumably issued no earlier than Sep 2017, so you're well within the ten years.

Your friend has misunderstood the issue date rules, and you’re correct. Your passport is still valid until the day it turns 10 years old.

Absolutely fine to use your passport.

Your friend has totally misunderstood the rules.. passports issued for more than 10 years haven’t been invalidated, it just means that irrespective of the expiry date, the passport can only be used for travel if it was issued less than 10 years ago on the date of travel.

Thanks all. It was issued March 2018. I’ve spent all evening reading the rules online and was convinced I was right. However my friend is so convinced they are right that it’s made me question my intelligence 🤣 so I thought I would call upon the wise souls of mumsnet to confirm! Don’t care who is right or wrong, I just need some sun since January feels like it has been 3467 days long!!!!!

If it was issued March 2018, it will be valid until March 2028. You need to have three months of validity from your return date so you will be fine. https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-nationals/index_en.htm

You can enter the EU up until March 2028 (some other countries don't have the 10 year rule).

You need 3 months remaining when leaving the EU and you can look at the expiry date for that.

Her friend isn't correct if she is saying the passport isn't valid for travel in March 2025 when it expires in 2028

There are two rules:

1. On your day of entry into the EU the passport must be less than 10 years old. For this you look at the issue date.
2. On your planned day of exit from the EU the passport must still be valid for three more months. For this you look at the expiry date.

The combination can get a bit complex if you are trying to use the extra couple of months that some people still have from when the passport office added up to 9 months of unused time on if you renewed early. They stopped doing this in about 2018, so we just have 3 more years of this complexity.

In your case you have three years margin for both, so there really is no problem.

Just to reassure you, our passports were issued with 10 years and 9 months on as was the rule at the time and they expire in September 2026.

We have used them multiple times since the rules changed with no issues. Your friend has misunderstood. However, because our passports were issued in January 2026, we will be renewing them by the end of this year, as we won't be able to use them to enter the EU after that.

Ignore some PP

Your passport is valid 10 years from the date of issue and that's that

Your passport is therefore valid till March 2028 so you have a few years yet to worry about it

Obviously you can travel with your passport this March 2025 as you still have 3 years till it expires in 2028

However if you've mistyped the year and you mean 2025 you can't use it and you'll have to get a new one

The turn around is only a fortnight at the moment

Used them multiple times to travel ?

Or just as ID

The rule only applies to travel obviously not as ID to night club or bar

Yes, to travel, on an aeroplane, to EU destinations, as is implied by my final sentence about not being able to use them to enter the EU after January 2026, plus this thread being in the Holidays section.

Your comprehension skills are similar to the OPs friend. Plus it's not a given that the OP can use her passport in March 2028 because her 'few months' could mean her passport gets to it's 10 year limit before then.

Appreciated all your responses. I will continue my holiday plans unbothered until January 2028 and sort it out then. And maybe do a little private smug dance for being right 🤣