passport valid 6mth beyond return why??

bylromarha

Had this very thought today. Booked Eurotunnel tickets. Lady on phone said we needed to travel with a passport with at least 6 months upon our UK return.

Why?! Surely if it's valid, it's valid. I don't like carrying months onto the next passport as I'd rather not pay for months the passport isn't used. Silly that travel companies state you can't use it if there's 5months and 29 days remaining.

Ballard

bylromarha wrote: »

Had this very thought today. Booked Eurotunnel tickets. Lady on phone said we needed to travel with a passport with at least 6 months upon our UK return.

Why?! Surely if it's valid, it's valid. I don't like carrying months onto the next passport as I'd rather not pay for months the passport isn't used. Silly that travel companies state you can't use it if there's 5months and 29 days remaining.

You do make a valid point but at current prices a UK passport costs 60p per month or £7.25 per annum which I'd consider to be inexpensive. When you also factor in the possibility of a rise in fees whilst you're passport-less and the fact that you won't need to rush around to obtain one when you do need it I think that it's just as well to get it done and dusted as early as you can.

Obviously, if you travel abroad infrequently then not renewing would make sense.

eDicky

bylromarha wrote: »

Booked Eurotunnel tickets. Lady on phone said we needed to travel with a passport with at least 6 months upon our UK return.

This is not true for European travel, unless it's their own policy/rules(?).

SW17

bylromarha wrote: »

Had this very thought today. Booked Eurotunnel tickets. Lady on phone said we needed to travel with a passport with at least 6 months upon our UK return.

Why?! Surely if it's valid, it's valid. I don't like carrying months onto the next passport as I'd rather not pay for months the passport isn't used. Silly that travel companies state you can't use it if there's 5months and 29 days remaining.

The lady on the phone was wrong. From Eurotunnel.com FAQs:

My Passport has expired can I still travel?

No, you are only allowed to travel abroad using a valid passport.

A valid passport is essential when you travel abroad. Although your passport has been issued for 10 years (5 years for children), some overseas countries have an immigration requirement for a passport to remain valid for a minimum period after the date of entry to that country (typically 6 months).

All countries require that your passport is valid both on the day you arrive and on the day you leave. If your passport is in its final year of validity, you are advised to check the requirements of the country(ies) of destination before you make final travel plans.

Within the EU, your passport only has to be valid for the duration of the trip you are taking. Outside the EU it may be different, and clearly there are some differences for cruises as evidenced in this thread.

bylromarha

SW17 wrote: »

The lady on the phone was wrong.

I was booking using Avios - lady on the phone used DirectFerries to book the tickets, and she was reading their T+C to me.

Ballard wrote: »

You do make a valid point but at current prices a UK passport costs 60p per month or £7.25 per annum which I'd consider to be inexpensive.

I have 2 kids who need theirs renewed every 5 years. Fee for renewing theirs isn't £72.50/2. And whilst I do see your point, TBH I'd rather keep the money in my pocket rather than sitting in an unused document, as small as that amount is.

peachyprice

bylromarha wrote: »

Had this very thought today. Booked Eurotunnel tickets. Lady on phone said we needed to travel with a passport with at least 6 months upon our UK return.

Why?! Surely if it's valid, it's valid. I don't like carrying months onto the next passport as I'd rather not pay for months the passport isn't used. Silly that travel companies state you can't use it if there's 5months and 29 days remaining.

As a family we've travelled plenty of times on Eurotunnel with at least one of us with less than 6 months on a passport. As Eurotunnel staff don't get to see your passport I'm not quite sure how they would enforce their rule, the French passport control officers going out certainly don't give a hoot, neither do the UK officers when you return.