The government of the United Kingdom continues to provide false information about the validity of children’s passports for travel to the European Union countries 32 months after passport expiry rules changed following the Brexit transition period.
Such false information from authorities in Britain has caused significant difficulties for a large number of people, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to a report from the Independent, one family from Sheffield was about to cancel a £5,000 cruise to Spain and Portugal after being incorrectly informed that the passport belonging to their nine-year-old had expired. However, after ensuring that such information is incorrect, their holiday is set to go ahead.
Since January 2021, all passports are required to meet specific criteria for travel to the European Union countries such as:
- They must have been issued at least ten years before the date of entry
- They need to be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the EU
Children’s passports will automatically pass the first test after they are only issued for a period of a maximum of five years and nine months. That is after a child’s passport was extended by nine months in September 2018 in order to carry over unspent time from a previous one.
Back in 2021, the government of the UK wrongly informed that children’s passports run after five years, regardless of added time. But the Independent claims the paper noted this was incorrect, and the checker was pulled.
However, HM Passport Office (HMPO) continues to provide wrong information. This department is part of the Home Office.
Still, the report from the Independent notes that the issue was raised recently over the eligibility of a nine-year-old to travel on a family holiday. The passport was issued on March 2018 and expires on December 23. Thus it should be valid for travel within the bloc until September 20.
The post-Brexit rules mean that UK citizens are eligible to travel visa-free to EU countries for up to three months, while previously, they were eligible to stay in EU countries for an unlimited period.
UK nationals are permitted to stay in the EU, Iceland, Switzerland, and Norway visa-free for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. However, for trips longer than 90 days, they are required to apply for an appropriate visa and residence permit.
In order to reach EU countries, Britons are required to hold a valid passport, health insurance, sufficient money to cover their stay in the EU, and a return or onward travel ticket.
Britons are required to make sure that their passport is valid for at least three months after their intended departure when planning to travel to bloc countries. In spite of the fact that the period of validity differs in EU countries, it is usually three or six months past the day they leave.