The easy five minute passport check you should always do before booking a holiday
HOLIDAYMAKERS have been warned that they could be prevented from entering certain countries, even if their passport still hasn't expired.
In fact, some countries will not allow people to enter with as many as six months remaining before their passport is due to expire, while other countries won't let you in with three months left.
That's why experts at are advising travellers to check when their passport is due to expire, as well as the rules for the destination they're heading to.
Gemma Brown, Head of Commercial and Travel expert at Travel Republic warns: “Many UK travellers are still unaware of the various passport validity rules that could cut their trips short, with the 6-month passport rule being the most common.
"A passport is usually valid for 5-10 years and because of this, many simply forget to check when they expire before booking a holiday.
"It’s important to make this check as most countries will not allow you to travel if your passport has less than three or six months before expiration.
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“If you are planning to travel internationally, your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of departure to be accepted into most countries.
"Not all countries require six months and you may be permitted to travel if you have three months remaining on your passport.
"The rules are dependent on where you are travelling and are even based on your nationality in some cases."
The advice is simple - to take five minutes to make sure your passport doesn't expire any time soon, or won't stop you entering the country you're visiting.
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Or to renew any passports before travel to make sure that you'll be permitted entry on arrival.
Gemma continued: "For peace of mind, we advise you to renew your passport and check the entry requirements of your destination to avoid entry refusal.
“If you’re keen on jetting off this winter but find your passport is due to expire soon, there are several countries who do not follow this rule and will grant entry on arrival.”
There are some holiday hotspots that won't be as fussy however, with places like Barbados, Gibraltar, Ireland, Jamaica, Mauritius, Mexico, Tunisia, St Lucia, America and Canada allowing people in as long as their passport is valid until the day you leave the country.
There are other passport rules to look out for, especially when heading to EU countries.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, for some travellers will need to have at least one full blank page left in their passports, while some places require two blank pages.
A blank page is one considered to be "free from stamps, clean and with no signs of ink staining."
It's worth checking this before you travel, just to make sure you won't be denied entry.
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Meanwhile, this clever trick could ensure your passport doesn't fill up with stamps too quickly.
And these are the three things you need to check on your passport to avoid missing your holiday.
