Update on EU Countries Passport Validity Requirements

The Foreign Office has revised its travel advice for European Union nations to clarify passport validity requirements.

It comes after instances of passengers being wrongfully turned away by airlines, causing uncertainty among travelers.

“If you want to go to an EU country (excluding Ireland), or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, or Vatican City, you must follow the Schengen area passport rules,” the update adds under the headline “Passport validity.”

“You must have the following passport:

• issued within the last ten years of your entry date (check the ‘date of issue’)

• valid for at least 3 months after your intended departure date (check the ‘expiry date’)

“You must check your passport meets these requirements before you travel. If your passport was issued before 1st October 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date.

“Contact the embassy of the country you are visiting if you think that your passport does not meet both these requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.”

More than 30 European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, and Portugal, received updates on Thursday (12th May).

• In the meanwhile, the NHS has extended the validity of barcodes on Covid-19 permits to six months, eliminating the need for travelers to download, print, or save a new copy every 30 days.

For entrance into some countries, Covid passes are necessary to provide confirmation of immunization, recovery, or a negative test result.

The barcode on the digital passes used to expire after 30 days.