day trip on last day of passport 1 May 2008 at 12:53AM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning 8 replies 1K views

altojack

I have been offered a lift for a day out to France on Tuesday, trouble is my passport runs out on that day. I will be back before midnight. Does anyone know i I am aloud to travel on the last day of passport life.

dmg24

You'll be fine. If for any reason you may be delayed, take your photographic driving licence also, as this is valid for ID purposes.

alanrowell

dmg24 wrote: »

You'll be fine. If for any reason you may be delayed, take your photographic driving licence also, as this is valid for ID purposes.

No it isn't.

moonrakerz

alanrowell wrote: »

No it isn't.

It could be, you don't actually need a passport to (re)enter the UK, just to be able to show to UK Immigration that you have a right to enter.

The problem is that the airline/ferry/train co probably won't let you on at their end, because if you are refused entry they are deemed to be responsible.

alanrowell

A driving licence in itself is not evidence that you are allowed to be in the UK.

It is however part of the evidence that can be used to prove you have a right to be in the UK.

dmg24

alanrowell wrote: »

A driving licence in itself is not evidence that you are allowed to be in the UK.

It is however part of the evidence that can be used to prove you have a right to be in the UK.

As it is government issued photographic ID, it is valid. I know several people that have used it for travel within the EU.

alanrowell

dmg24 wrote: »

As it is government issued photographic ID, it is valid. I know several people that have used it for travel within the EU.

Whilst it is government issued, it does not prove that the person has a right to be in the UK let alone the right to travel to other EU countries.

People who are on short term visas like a WHV can exchange their driving licences for a UK one - so does that mean once the WHV expires they are still entitled to enter the UK because they have a "government issued photographic ID".

Then again just because the person is entitled to be in the UK (and has a UK driving licence) doesn't mean that they are allowed to enter another EU country without obtaining a visa first - the right to be in the UK doesn't give you a right to travel to other EU countries

The only place where a driving licence is acceptable as ID is on UK domestic flights & flights to Ireland - and that is to meet airline requirements rather than government rules

BernadetteN

dmg24 wrote: »

As it is government issued photographic ID, it is valid. I know several people that have used it for travel within the EU.

You may well know several people who have travelled in the EU with just a passport. However, the French Border Police are nt happy even with their own nationals travelling to the UK and back by ferrry / tunnel on driving licences.

If you were to turn up at the UK control with just a driving licence, your name WILL be checked against the UK passport website. If you own a valid passport, it is liable and likely to be cancelled. You will also be required to fill in UK passport service forms and held up for around 10-20 minutes minimum. The same thing will happen if you claim to have lost or had stolen your British passport.

A passport with one day's validity left on it is fine to travel out and back to the UK on a day trip.

Without a passport, a driving licence will be used to check your identity on the UK passport service website, never as a substitute for a passport.

vikingaero

I remember when we were on holiday in Snowdonia last year and on the spur of the moment we booked a day trip to Dublin. When we arrived at Dun Laoghaire we were stopped by an Immigration Officer who said that my wifes and my driving licence were acceptable proof of ID as our licences showed our UK place of birth. My mums driving licence was deemed not to be acceptable as her place of birth was shown overseas and therefore he couldn't be sure that she was a British citizen. Luckily he was reasonable about it and allowed us through after checking that we had a return ticket.