There has been a lot of coverage in the media about passport validity recently but we know many people have expressed confusion with respect to the rules governing how much time one needs to have remaining on a UK passport in order to travel.

To assist you, what follows is our latest understanding of the current position.

We will update and repost this if things change and rules are amended.

For short visits to the EU (up to 90 days), including countries in the Schengen area, UK citizens generally don’t need a visa, but must abide by the following rules:

The 10-year rule: Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you enter the EU/Schengen Zone (regardless of the expiry date printed in the passport itself)

The three-month rule: Your passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave an EU country. For example, if you are entering Spain on 18 April 2025 and returning to the UK on 21 April 2025, your passport needs to have been issued after 18 April 2015 (ten-year rule) and be valid until 21 July 2025 (three-month rule)

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Returning to the UK

Six-month validity rule: A British citizen returning to the UK with a valid passport will generally be permitted entry. 

Whilst there is no formal six-month validity rule for UK citizens returning home, having a valid passport is crucial for demonstrating identity and right of entry. 

HOWEVER – many countries have a six-month validity rule.

Our best advice therefore is do not travel unless your passport is valid for six months on the date you return to the UK