Beware: Brits Still Falling for the Seven-Year Passport Rule – What You Need to Know for 2026!

NEW passport rules were rolled out seven years ago – and people are STILL being caught out by them.

Back in 2018, the UK government updated after leaving the EU.

Passport rules are catching tourists out seven years after they changedCredit: Home Office

Now, must be only be valid for 10 years, with any months rolled over from previous passports no longer allowed.

Alongside the requirement to have between 3-6 months left on it, enforced by a number of countries, it is still causing confusion for travellers.

And elderly couple recently were banned from their cruise because of the rules.

Their son Ben explained to The Times : “Unfortunately, my mum’s passport fell foul of the ‘not issued more than ten years ago’ passport rule for entry to the EU, and so at the terminal, despite having six months’ validity left on the passport, and after a terribly stressful journey down during a storm, they weren’t allowed to board.

“Clearly they had never heard of this rule, and I freely admit, nor had I.

“Having asked many people, it isn’t well known.”

Despite the rules being seven years old, it is thought thousands are still being caught out every year.

Figures have shown up to 100,000 holidaymakers a year face being turned away at if their passport is more than 10 years old.

So holidaymakers should be checking their start date, not their expiry date, to see if it is valid.

For example, if a passport has an October 2015 start date but a January 2026 expiry, it has technically expired.

And always check how many months are required from countries as well – lots of places in Europe require travellers to have at least three months left on their passport.

Some places like Dubai and require at least six months left.

The last will expire in 2030, as blue passports were rolled out in 2020.

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When Queen Elizabeth II died, passports after this were issued by rather than Her Majesty’s Office.

However, the updated designs will now have King Charles‘ Coat of Arms, replacing ‘s as well.

Inside will also have new designs of UK landmarks, each from the four UK nations.

For England there is Lake District; for there is Ben Nevis; for Wales there is Three Cliffs Bay and for Ireland there is Giant’s Causeway.

New in the pages will also make it one of the most secure passports ever.

Make sure you don’t have any novelty stamps, pen marks or stickers in your passport either – these have all caught out travellers as well.

Make sure to check the dates before booking your holidayCredit: Alamy