Brits issued huge 3 month Brexit passport warning ahead of booming summer

It’s been years since shook up but some updates are still catching Brits unaware at the airport. Ahead of what’s predicted to be a hectic, you will want to double-check your passport’s validity to ensure you’re not denied boarding at the airport.

British passport holders - particularly the millions still carrying - are being warned to confirm their passport is valid for travel into the and This region has two strict rules for British passport holder, known as the 10-year rule and the three-month rule.

According to the 10-year rule, British passport holders will need to show that their passport has been issued less than 10 years before the day they enter the Schengen Zone. Similarly, under the three-month rule, British passports must be valid for at least three months after the day travellers plan to leave the Schengen Zone.

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Put in practice, if you are entering a European Union country on Easter Friday (April 18) and planning to return on Easter Monday (April 21), your passport needs to have been issued after April 18, 2015 and be valid until at least July 21, 2025.

This rule applies to UK passport holders as well as all countries the EU defines as ‘third-country nationals’. However, it should be noted that Ireland is an exception to post-Brexit passport rule updates.

British citizens with the old burgundy passports may, however, find that their passports are after the 10-year expiry due to a now axed practice. The nine-month leeway was valid for UK passports issued before September 2018 as a buffer for soon-to-expire passports.

If you do find that the passport rule means you will need to renew your passport, then there is another passport update you will need to keep in mind. As of this past month, all .

The standard price to renew a UK adult passport online was recently raised by 7%. As of April 10, the cost of renewal is £94.50 while the previous cost was £88.50.

The passport renewal fees have also increased for the following services: standard online application for children, postal applications for adults and children, premium (1-day) expedited services, overseas standard online application, overseas standard paper application.

According to a statement from the , the new fees will help them “move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.” The statement also confirmed that the government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.

UK passports can be renewed at any time, though the remaining time is not carried over onto the new passport. As a general rule, you should renew your passport every 10 years or immediately if you see that your passport is damaged.

That said, the is working to implement a that will enable travellers to upload their passport details to their phones. The new system will also utilise facial recognition technology to speed up airport processing.

The idea of digitalising passports was instigated in Finland, where residents have been able to use their phones to travel to the UK as part of a pilot programme.