Millions of travellers are to be hit by an unannounced policy change on passport rene
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Millions of travellers are to be hit by an unannounced policy change on passport rene
The Independent
Until now, the Passport Office has granted up to nine months of extra validity for British passports renewed ahead of the expiry date.
A traveller whose passport is due to expire on 1 June 2019 could renew on 1 September 2018 and get a new document valid until 1 June 2029. But starting this week, the long-established practice of crediting a new passport with unexpired time from the old passport has been dropped.
The change was uncovered by the Money Saving Expert website after multiple users reported they had been “short-changed” when renewing their passports. The founder, Martin Lewis, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We got contacted by a number of our users saying they renewed their passports in the last couple of days, they had many months remaining, and those months were not added on their new passports.”He said that the customer service team at the Passport Office had told researchers that the policy had changed on Monday 10 September.
A traveller whose passport is due to expire on 1 June 2019 could renew on 1 September 2018 and get a new document valid until 1 June 2029. But starting this week, the long-established practice of crediting a new passport with unexpired time from the old passport has been dropped.
The change was uncovered by the Money Saving Expert website after multiple users reported they had been “short-changed” when renewing their passports. The founder, Martin Lewis, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We got contacted by a number of our users saying they renewed their passports in the last couple of days, they had many months remaining, and those months were not added on their new passports.”He said that the customer service team at the Passport Office had told researchers that the policy had changed on Monday 10 September.
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Same as in Australia, you aren't allowed to travel with less than 6 months validity on your passport, so you have to renew at least 6 months early, and they only grant you 10 years from when you renew it.
Effectively you pay for 10 years, but you only get 9 years or less worth of travel from it.
Effectively you pay for 10 years, but you only get 9 years or less worth of travel from it.
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Could this not have something to do with Brexit, in that many EU countries require passports of non-EU nationals to have at least 6 months validity.
Whatever the reason, to implement the new policy with no advance notice is deceitful in the extreme.
Whatever the reason, to implement the new policy with no advance notice is deceitful in the extreme.
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This sounds likely. We’re about 6 months away from Brexit, so the timelines fit.
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It's got everything to do with Brexit.
If the UK leaves the EU then we will be classed as "third country nationals"
Because the terms of the Schengen border code state that to gain entry into an EU country you must have a valid passport that was issued in the previous 10 years and having a passport that was valid for up to 10 years, 9 months would mean that some UK passport holders would have passports that fell outside of this limit, it sounds like the government has decided to treat UK passports in the same way that most (if not all) other countries do by not adding on the extra months.
If the UK leaves the EU then we will be classed as "third country nationals"
Because the terms of the Schengen border code state that to gain entry into an EU country you must have a valid passport that was issued in the previous 10 years and having a passport that was valid for up to 10 years, 9 months would mean that some UK passport holders would have passports that fell outside of this limit, it sounds like the government has decided to treat UK passports in the same way that most (if not all) other countries do by not adding on the extra months.
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If you're right, what happens with my passport which expires around 2022 but has a validity of over 10 years? If it's not valid after we leave, then I have to renew it long before it expires. Let's face it, nobody has a clue, but it sound like a recipe for a right mess.
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The Schengen code only requires that third country nationals have a passport that was issued in the 10 years prior to travel into the EU.
My UK passport was issued in April 2017 and expires in Jan 2028 so if we do leave the EU and the 10 years passport rule applies, I can enter EU countries until April 2027 despite my passport remaining valid for another 9 months.
