Passport rules for Spain
This week, ahead of Easter, the media are reporting a recurring story about UK visitors to Spain being caught out by a 10 year passport rule.
UK travellers applying for a new passport before 2018 were able to carry over up to nine months from their old passport to their new one. With a standard adult UK passport costing £82.50, it’s understandable why many people chose this option. However, since Brexit, EU countries including Spain will not accept passports issued more than 10 years ago. This renders the 9-month carry over period redundant.
There is a case of a UK traveller flying to France who despite having cleared all security and border formalities was refused boarding at the departure gate. His passport had been issued more than 10 years previously. The law, which applies to all countries that are part of the Schengen agreement, is that travellers must have a passport issued less than 10 years before their departure date.
Separately the passport must also be valid for three months after the planned return date.
Sting in the tail – 3 month passport validity at the end of a trip
The advice for UK visitors to Spain is clear. For those who are making use of their full 90 days, the regulation about 3 month validity after the planned return date is one that is easily overlooked; especially if you are thinking about applying for a new passport upon return.
Travel to the rest of the world is unaffected
Note that passports issued after 2018 are all valid for exactly 10 years and this ruling applies to travel to the Schengen area only and the passport will be valid for travel to the rest of the world.
