Brexit – Check If Your Passport Is Valid

Sorry to bring up the thorny topic of Brexit, but without getting into the politics we feel it is necessary to discuss your passport and offer a way for you to check the validity of your passport with Brexit still unresolved.

As you are aware, the UK will be leaving the EU and this may happen as soon as 12 April 2019 if no deal is reached. In this scenario, UK nationals will become third country nationals under the Schengen Border Code, meaning we will have to comply with new rules when travelling to EU countries who operate within the Scengen area (most EU countries are included).

According to the Schengen Border Code, third country passports must:

• have been issued within the last 10 years on the date of arrival in a Schengen country

• have at least three months validity remaining on the date of intended departure from the last country visited in the Schengen Area. Because third country nationals can remain in the Schengen Area for 90 days, the actual check carried out could be that the passport has at least 6 months validity remaining on the date of arrival.

This may sound to be rather complicated so we suggest that anyone who thinks they may be affected by this should use the Brexit Passport Checking facility which the UK passport office has designed. It’s very straightforward to use and will tell you instantly if your passport will be valid to travel within the Schengen Area.

Click on this link to be taken to the passport office Brexit Checking page.