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UK travel

Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

Original poster

Can DC fly to Europe with expired British passport?

32 replies

StuckInARug · 30/04/2022 09:03

DC has British + other passport (non EU). We've got a holiday to Italy booked for July. Didn't realise until too late DC UK passport due to expire in June. Other Non EU passport still valid for many years. Italy allows entry from non EU country DC has passport from.

We were about to post the passport renewal docs today but realised we would have to also send in the non UK / non EU passport - so there's no way we can do that as we'd risk our holiday. Trying to get a fast track appointment but none available.

Will I have problems flying to Italy with DC and their non UK / non EU valid passport, given the expired UK passport? (and then re-entering the UK after?)

OP posts:
jimboandthejetset · 30/04/2022 09:05

Are there any conditions regarding entry to Italy or the UK for holders of thief non-EU passport? If not it should be fine.

Soontobe60 · 30/04/2022 09:05

Which passport did you use to book their flight?

AMindOfMyOwn · 30/04/2022 09:07

You won’t have an issue arriving in Italy
you might have no end of question coming back as they would be treated as a foreigner needing visa etc…
Im not sure the experience British passport will be enough to solve the issue either.

Original poster
StuckInARug · 30/04/2022 09:09

@jimboandthejetset no conditions of entry, you can enter visa free to Italy and the UK on this passport… I guess my worry is that her non uk passport wouldn’t have a stamp of when they entered the UK… (as we last entered the Uk on their British passport)

OP posts:
notsilverfish · 30/04/2022 09:09

You can enter Italy on the other passport but how will you get back? Supposed to enter UK on British passport afaik.

Original poster
StuckInARug · 30/04/2022 09:10

@Soontobe60 ohh good point I need to check if I was asked for passport details when I booked. Thanks for the reminder!!!

OP posts:
jimboandthejetset · 30/04/2022 09:11

notsilverfish · 30/04/2022 09:09

You can enter Italy on the other passport but how will you get back? Supposed to enter UK on British passport afaik.

Loads of people will enter the UK without a British passport! How do you think non-British passport holders get through passport control when they arrive? Confused

Doubleraspberry · 30/04/2022 09:15

Your DC has a valid passport that allows for visa-free entry on both legs so I can’t see any issue about the UK passport status. The only query potentially might be the mechanics of going through passport control if the rest of you are on UK passports, depending on their age. Would you end up in different lanes at the airport? Would that be OK? Would one adult be able to travel with the same nationality passport?

Original poster
StuckInARug · 30/04/2022 09:16

@notsilverfish i get what you meant, if you have a UK passport you’re meant to enter the UK with it…. I guess in this instance I’ll just need to show them both? One expired…

OP posts:
Slowgrowingelm · 30/04/2022 09:18

@jimboandthejetset I was always asked to show my uk passport on my return to England. I once presented my non uk/non eu passport and they demanded my Uk passport. If they know you have one (ie no visa etc in the non uk passport) they ask how you traveled in to the other country, how were you staying in the Uk previously etc etc. I was told not to ever present a non uk passport on entry to the uk, if I had a uk passport.

Slowgrowingelm · 30/04/2022 09:20

OP - at that time my children only held their non uk/non eu passport so I don’t know what would have happened for them. We were actually pulled aside in to a holding area once but that was because I have sole custody and didn’t change my name when I married, a whole other issue…

notsilverfish · 30/04/2022 09:24

@jimboandthejetset what's the face for?

We're talking about someone who has a British passport. They are meant to use that to enter the UK.

People without a British passport will obviously have to enter the UK with a different one.

Doubleraspberry · 30/04/2022 09:29

It’s not a legal requirement to enter the UK with a UK passport. The US has this rule, other countries may also do, but the UK doesn’t. If you have a passport that gives you legal entry to the UK you can use it. It’s a border entry document. If your DC is the only one with a non-UK passport you may need to do some explaining, but they are allowed to enter the country with any valid passport.

AMindOfMyOwn · 30/04/2022 09:32

@Doubleraspberry of course they a come in on any passport.
the problem is that the passport might require a visa/return ticket etc.. that the OP won’t have.

Doubleraspberry · 30/04/2022 09:34

The OP says the passport doesn’t require a visa.

Houseplantmad · 30/04/2022 09:35

We phoned the passport office and they said to send a clear colour photocopy of each page of the other passport as well as proof of travel so we didn't need to send it in.

MsTSwift · 30/04/2022 09:37

Same issue about to send Dd passport for renewal but seeing how long it takes reckon safer to just travel with her German passport

Time2Move · 30/04/2022 09:41

I did this once... was heading to Europe for a weekend and realised my British passport had expired. Being a bit dim I just took my other one instead and as others have said, the problem was when I tried to return to the UK, and they asked me the reason for my visit and how long I was staying. I spluttered something about living here and that my British passport had expired and they explained that it didn't work like that... it was all pretty good natured, and they let me in no problem (helped that I made a reasonable stab at remembering the password no of my expired passport... as in I knew the first few digits), but probably not recommended...

Doubleraspberry · 30/04/2022 09:50

Yep, so a UK passport is simplest but not required. So the expired passport would meet the needs of a border force official in determining right to live in the UK, or even birth certificate.

Nadamar · 30/04/2022 09:52

I applied to renew DDs uk passport on 12th April & I’ve had it back this week

justasoul · 30/04/2022 10:01

Doubleraspberry · 30/04/2022 09:15

Your DC has a valid passport that allows for visa-free entry on both legs so I can’t see any issue about the UK passport status. The only query potentially might be the mechanics of going through passport control if the rest of you are on UK passports, depending on their age. Would you end up in different lanes at the airport? Would that be OK? Would one adult be able to travel with the same nationality passport?

Families can just go on the same passport queue. I have a non-EU passport and my British DH and DC would come with me on that queue at first, but an immigration officer has said I can actually join them instead - since then we just go on the shortest one Grin

Original poster
StuckInARug · 30/04/2022 10:32

@Doubleraspberry thats what I’m hoping for. We’ve been travelling on a mix of UK / non Uk passports for a few years and it’s been fine - they’ve always allowed the non UK ones to enter on the Uk queue and vice versa. Has always allowed us to join the shortest queue 😄

OP posts:
Original poster
StuckInARug · 30/04/2022 10:35

@Houseplantmad that sounds like a good plan!!! Might do that, then. Only question is, should I do that or keep trying to book a 1 week appointment?? Government saying passports taking on average 10 weeks and we travel in 12….

OP posts:
Original poster
StuckInARug · 30/04/2022 10:37

@Time2Move i really hope they wouldn’t stop my DC (who is only 5!) from reentering the UK. If I do send the UK passport in for renewal then I will take a photocopy and a copy of their birth certificate too. Part of my worry is the airline not letting them travel back to the UK. But they’ll have a valid passport so I think it will be ok.

OP posts: