Passport expiry Brexit - six months con!!

[Deleted User]

I'm writing this, not because I have been affected by it, but because I am surprised that Martin has not raised this issue (or perhaps he has and I missed it). It has come to my attention that whilst we believe that we need six months left on our passports to travel to Europe since we left the EU, this is not clear. People, like myself until recently, believe that if your passport runs out on July 2022, you can still travel in January 2022, as you have six months left on the passport - WRONG!
You need to have six months left from the ten years from the date of issue on your passport, and not the expiry date. For example, if my passport was issued in September 2014, and the expiry was May 2025, that passport is actually ten years and six months. 
Six months expiry would actually be six months earlier than September 2024, which is March 2024. It means that we actually lose a year off our passport.
I'm hoping this makes sense as it is not that clear. If your passport was issued in September 2014, then ten years on is September 2024. Take six months off that, which is March 2024, and that is when you need to renew your passport. DO NOT LOOK AT THE EXPIRY DATE. Thank you.

Sandtree

bexoxo60 said:
I am surprised that Martin has not raised this issue (or perhaps he has and I missed it). 

You know Martin sold this site many years ago and just licenses his name to it these days? 

This is also a historic problem as the UK has now fallen in line with the rest of the world and only issues 10 year passports (or shorter for kids etc) rather than carrying forward any remaining time left on the old one https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2018/09/passport-applicants-hit-out-after-being-given-shorter-than-expec/

This article also points out the 10 year rule https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2021/04/passport-delay-act-now-travel/  and you have the government's checker at https://www.gov.uk/check-a-passport-travel-europe 

The 10 year rule has been around in many countries for a very long time, we were just immune to the EU ones because of being a member of the EU. Now we aren't we get treated the same as the rest of the world. The issue isnt unique to the EU though and other countries have always said our passports expire on their tenth anniversary. 

Its a problem that will go away though because all new passports will be exactly 10 years in validity going forward... I would have thought that was more of a "con" than the fact we are now treated like other non-EU countries? 

superbigal

This is old news.  We left the EU a while ago if you had not noticed.

bagand96

As pointed out you did miss it when it was reported. 

The UK was pretty unusual in issuing passports that were valid longer than 10 years, now we have fallen into line. It's not a con, it's just a change. 

No harm in bringing it to people's attention again though, we've got another few years of this and it cropping up from time to time will likely help raise awareness. 

eskbanker

This isn't anything to do with Covid travel issues though (the subject of this board), so if anywhere, it ought to be on https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/overseas-holidays-travel-planning, with all the other passport threads....

Pollycat

It's not a con.
Really.
It isn't.

[Deleted User]

delete 123

Neruda

[DELETED USER] said:

Another brexit bonus. Thanks everyone who voted for this.

At least our passports are blue now, even though they don't last for as long.

MalMonroe

I am (normally but not during covid season) a regular traveller, have had passports continually since 1971 and have NEVER had a passport longer or shorter than a 10 year period. Is it really just me? But then it can't be because my brother, sister in law and daughter have only ever had the exact 10 year period too. Maybe it's just our family? And if so, why have we been singled out?!

I really don't care what colour my passport is but I do wish we had stayed in the EU. I miss it. And I did not vote to leave it. 

Pollycat

Mine and my husband's passports have been and currently are valid for longer than a 10 year period (I don't think any adult has had a standard passport valid for less than 10 years).

The link given by Sandtree explains it clearly:

Until a few days ago, when you renewed your passport, any time left on your existing document would be added to your new one, up to a maximum of nine months.

If your and your family's passports have been valid for "the exact 10 year period" then you must have in the past applied for renewal at the exact time it expired.
Most people didn't leave it that long - because there was a benefit to applying up to 9 months early.
That benefit is no longer there - as the OP has found out.
But it isn't a con.

This is what it used to say on GOV.UK ('December last year refers to Dec 2017):

The Passport renewal form from December last year:
https://web.archive.org/web/20171230214813/https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport/renew

Sandtree

MalMonroe said:

I am (normally but not during covid season) a regular traveller, have had passports continually since 1971 and have NEVER had a passport longer or shorter than a 10 year period. Is it really just me? But then it can't be because my brother, sister in law and daughter have only ever had the exact 10 year period too. Maybe it's just our family? And if so, why have we been singled out?!

You are just a trailblazer as we are all the same now.

It will come down to when you renew your passport, back in the good old pre-Brexit days renew it 9 months before the old one expired (dont think you had to tick a box or anything) and the new passport turned up with a start date of the day it was printed but an expiry 10 years after the old one was due to expire.

If you've only ever renewed it after the old one has lapsed or was about to then you'd get 10 years.