holiday in 2 weeks Passport expiry on AUG 03 less than 6 months

locka

I've just book 4 days in Prague for the week after next Via Teletext holidays when I booked I forgot to check my passport date Now it does not run out until Aug 03rd and I'm going way before it's end date. However Teletext state the following in the info they have sent me

"valid 10-year passport with at least 6 months left to run"

According to the government website the Czech republic have no limits, and I cannot see any from easy jet who I'm flying with. I know this most of the standard potion by most holiday company.

Do i need to worry ?

SW17

If you are a British Citizen, you don't need to worry. Within the EU, as long as your passport is valid for the duration of your stay, you are ok. The official govt advice for Czech Republic is here:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/czech-republic/entry-requirements

For countries outside the EU, there are often requirements for passport validity of a certain duration when entering, but you'll be fine in Prague.

locka

Thanks for Info id been on and read the government stance just wanted to make sure that there was no likely hood of telextex holidays putting a spanner in the works. Was pretty sure they could not but just want to be rest assured.

Thanks I will not worry then.

benjus

It's pretty common for travel agents to stipulate 6 months, as it means they don't have to bother looking into the rules for individual countries - 6 months covers you for pretty much anywhere in the world. You can safely ignore it though.

The only potential problem is that occasionally you hear reports of airline staff who don't understand the rules preventing people from boarding flights to destinations they are perfectly entitled to travel to. In the unlikely even that this happens to you, all you can do is stick to your guns and ask to speak to someone senior.

Pollycat

benjus wrote: »

It's pretty common for travel agents to stipulate 6 months, as it means they don't have to bother looking into the rules for individual countries - 6 months covers you for pretty much anywhere in the world. You can safely ignore it though.

The only potential problem is that occasionally you hear reports of airline staff who don't understand the rules preventing people from boarding flights to destinations they are perfectly entitled to travel to. In the unlikely even that this happens to you, all you can do is stick to your guns and ask to speak to someone senior.

If there was the tiniest bit of doubt about my travel documentation, I'd print off the relevant section from the Foreign office website and take it to the airport with me.

I've recently returned from India and the advice from the airline (Thomas Cook) was that you need 6 months validity on your passport on LEAVING India.

FCO advice says:

Passport validity

Your passport must have 2 blank pages for your visa and must be valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of your visa application.

The guidelines regarding passport validity on arrival in India are unclear. To avoid possible problems at immigration, make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of entry into India.

6 months on return and 180 days on entry can be very different.

I actually had 182 days left on my passport on my return to UK.

Check-in staff at Manchester airport didn't say anything.

Not sure where the 180 days come from but it may be because the first 3 months of the year total 90 days (usually) so 6 months = 180 days.

InsideInsurance

Pollycat wrote: »

If there was the tiniest bit of doubt about my travel documentation, I'd print off the relevant section from the Foreign office website and take it to the airport with me.

Given the rules are set by the country you are going to you are better off printing the rules from the relevant embassy website etc rather than the FCO if possible.

Pollycat

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Given the rules are set by the country you are going to you are better off printing the rules from the relevant embassy website etc rather than the FCO if possible.

I would agree with you but in the case of my visit to India, this statement from the FCO is very accurate:

The guidelines regarding passport validity on arrival in India are unclear. To avoid possible problems at immigration, make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of entry into India.

I tried lots of different websites to determine whether my passport was OK - including High Commission of India - and could not find a definitive answer other than you have to be in possession of a valid visa and your passport had to have 180 days left at the time of applying for your visa (which mine was).

DTDfanBoy

The best site to use to check visa requirements is http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/

It's pretty much the same system that the airlines use to check passport visa entry requirements. It asks for a host of information such as passport issue/expiry date, DOB, passport type biometric etc, all of which can have an effect on entry eligibility.

It also allows you to enter transit countries and provides additional information which is harder to find on typical Government websites.

For instance it let's you know that you can enter the Czech Republic on a GB passport which has been extended, something you can't do if you are flying to the USA with an ESTA for example.

Pollycat

DTDfanBoy wrote: »

The best site to use to check visa requirements is http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/

It's pretty much the same system that the airlines use to check passport visa entry requirements. It asks for a host of information such as passport issue/expiry date, DOB, passport type biometric etc, all of which can have an effect on entry eligibility.

It also allows you to enter transit countries and provides additional information which is harder to find on typical Government websites.

For instance it let's you know that you can enter the Czech Republic on a GB passport which has been extended, something you can't do if you are flying to the USA with an ESTA for example.

I've had a look at that website (it was one of the ones I checked before my India trip).

I've done a test stating my departure from UK is 15th April 2015 and my passport expires on 15th June 2015 - so a lot less than Thomas Cook say (6 months on return) and FCO advice (180 days on entry to India) and it doesn't state that my passport has insufficient validity.

That's not going to be much good if TC check-in staff insist on the 6 months and refuse to let someone fly.

DTDfanBoy

Pollycat wrote: »

That's not going to be much good if TC check-in staff insist on the 6 months and refuse to let someone fly.

TC use the Timatic database which is what the IATA visa system also uses, so you will be allowed to board the aircraft

Obviously there is never a guarantee that any country will allow you to enter, but if you are denied entry the airline won't be fined and forced to have you transported home at their expense.

Pollycat

DTDfanBoy wrote: »

TC use the Timatic database which is what the IATA visa system also uses, so you will be allowed to board the aircraft

So why tell people otherwise in the documentation they send you?