Help child passport expired can we wing it and travel to France??!!!

[indygirl]

We are due to travel to France by car this Friday (19th Aug) for 2 weeks and 5 year old ds passport expired in April this year. Do they check every car and all passports at the chunnel???!!!!! Can we just hope for the best that they won't notice - there are 4 kids!!! However I travel on New Zealand passport - so they might check us out? Please any help or experience of this would be welcomed! Thx

You can get a replacement quickly if you ring for an appt. Don't risk it. Travelling within 2 weeks info here.

Good luck!

i wouldn't risk it. your holiday will be ruined if you are found out.

Travelling within 48 hrs here .

We did it - travelling on British passports, just put mine in between H's and dds. But I agree with the others - it's a bit hit or miss.

They looked at DS's passport v closely...asked q's, everything. (Because the photo was from when we got the passport when he was 5 weeks? Because DP is asian and all our passports get checked v closely? Because this is an age when all passports get checked v closely?). I would get that replacement passport!

No, get a new one.
The last time we travelled they checked all passports really thoroughly, so much so that we were incredibly delayed and had to get next train despite getiing ready to board at first call.

Depends whether you want to be able to bring him back into the country...

no get a new one, you still have time.

My dad and brother who is 14 had to stay in London for a long weekend a few months ago as his passport had expired. Yes they do check every passport, but some countries might be more willing to accept a young child on a parents passport then they were a 14 year old boy. Definetly not worth the risk. Hope you get something sorted in time.

They do refuse. I sat opposite a couple on Eurostar who had no passport for their baby. they were escorted for the rest of their journey and taken to some sinister looking 'send the back' booth on arrival.

Last time we went to France by car in the chunnel (a couple of weeks ago) they checked DS's passport really thoroughly. I really wouldn't risk it when you can get an emergency replacement.

We came back from holidays on Thursday and they put all our passports including the childerns through a scanning machine, to check the sort of hologram surface.
I think they are being very careful at the moment.

Thanks for all your comments, definitely decided not to 'wing it'! Have an urgent passport appointment on Thursday - in Durham - 2 hours away!!!!!! Oh dear should have checked earlier. We are going to need this holiday after this week!

Glad you managed to get the appointment, indygirl. I think many a MN-er has trod the same panicked road - didn't MotherInferior have this to deal with last year?

Enjoy your hol!

i went on the tunnel without valid passport at the age of 20! Got there and realsied it had experied and we decided to tell them. they said that it was ok as we weren't planning to fly. they let me out and gave me a letter to let me back in again. honesty is the best policy - hope you can get your replacement but if not try calling the chunnel people, they may help!

With the recent Hoo-ha over terrorist movements due to non-checking of passports, I wouldn't risk it.

Tho' there was a letter in the Times last week, from a bloke who went to Paris on business, and didn't realise that he had picked up his wife's passport by mistake.

His trip went without a hitch.