Check your passport

Check your passport!

You may have seen in the news recently, that it is taking longer for new and replacement passports to be issued. This is why it is vital that you check your passport’s expiry date, to ensure that you have enough time to renew it, if needed. With the Passport Office advising that it could take up to 10 weeks for your passport application to be processed, it is a good idea to check your passport now and save unnecessary anxiety before jetting off on your next holiday. 

When travelling to the EU (plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland), your passport must have been issued within 10 years of the date you enter your chosen country and have at least 3 months validity on the date you return to the UK. We recommend that for further afield countries you have at least 6 months left on your passport from the date you return home. 

Whilst checking your passport, it would also be a good idea to check if you have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which gives access to state medical care in the country you visit. Those who need to renew or apply for a new health card can get a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which replaced the EHIC when the UK left the EU. You can find more information at www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-uk-global-health-insurance-card-ghic/ 

Here are some useful tips for renewing your passport: 

• Your passport cannot be more than 10 years old when entering an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland – so check the issue and expiry dates carefully.
• Check the government travel advice for the passport rules for your destination at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice before you go, as most places in Europe will require you to have at least three months left from the date you leave that country.
• The Passport Office is advising that it could take up to 10 weeks to receive your new passport, so we strongly suggest you do it early!
• It is cheaper to renew your passport online rather than by post. For more information please click here.
• If you are worried that you may not have enough time for an upcoming holiday, there is a fast-track service available. For more information please click here.
• Apply today or find out more at www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport