Woman left in tears after being banned from her flight due to simple passport error
A BRITISH holidaymaker has told how she was left in tears following an "absolutely awful" passport mistake that prevented her from boarding a flight.
A post-Brexit change to UK passport rules means that Brits whose passports were issued more than 10 years ago will be denied entry to the EU.
This is a rule that Rosi Simpson, a teacher from Brighton, didn't know about and as a result, was prevented from boarding her flight to Paris to see her son.
She said she didn't know about the rule and thought she'd be okay to travel, with her passport not due to expire for eight more months.
She has called for more information to be made publicly available about the rule change.
She told : “I had no idea of the 10-year rule. I’d checked the expiry date, and my passport had eight months remaining. What happened at the boarding gate was absolutely awful.
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"I lost the cost of the flight and the accommodation I’d booked – I’d been so looking forward to seeing my son.
"What I don’t understand is why this hasn’t had more publicity – an information campaign. I wasn’t the only one who this had happened to at the airport that day."
Before the rule change, Brits could enter and exit Europe, as long as they held a valid passport, regardless of how long was left on it, or when it was issued.
However, since Brexit, those rules have changed and UK travellers need to be much more aware of how long is left on their passports.
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Travel experts ABTA explained their top three things that passengers should check before booking a holiday.
Included in that were both the issue and expiry dates of passports, with flights and ferries to mainland Europe requiring at least three months of validity left after a passenger's return date.
They said: "Most places in Europe will require you to have a least three months left on your passport on the date of departure from your destination – check the Foreign Office advice for the passport rules for your destination.";
They also warned of the 10-year rule, saying "Your passport cannot be more than 10 years old when entering the country – so check when your passport was issued and when it is due to expire."
They also advised people to apply for new passports as early as possible, advice which is just as prevalent now with passport office strikes affecting renewal times.
Nearly 1,800 staff members at the Passport Office have staged walkouts that started last month.
Brits needing a new passport have been advised to give themselves 10 weeks to get it sorted, but some applicants have said it has taken even longer than that.
The usual waiting time is around five weeks, but due to the circumstances, holidaymakers have been warned to allow double that just to be safe.
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Here is the exact date you need to order a new passport for it to arrive in time for the summer holidays, when factoring in the 10 week waiting time.
And we've explained what to do if your passport doesn't arrive in time for your holiday.
