The EU 10-year passport rule — what UK travellers miss

Since Brexit, UK travellers to the EU or Schengen Area have to clear two passport rules. The 3-months-beyond-departure rule is well known. The 10-year rule is the one that keeps catching people out at check-in.

The rule in one sentence

On the day you enter the Schengen Area, your passport must be less than 10 years old — measured from its issue date, not its expiry date.

Why this matters for old UK passports

Until September 2018, the UK Passport Office used to add any unused months from your previous passport onto the new one. Plenty of British passports were issued with 10 years and 9 months of validity. The expiry date on those passports is technically correct — but Schengen won't honour those extra months.

So your passport can show an expiry date in, say, March 2027, but if it was issued in June 2017, you can't use it to enter France after June 2027 — and you can't use it at all after June 2027 because it's past 10 years on the issue date.

How to check your passport in 10 seconds

1. Find the date of issue on page 2 of your passport.
2. Add 10 years.
3. Your day of entry to the EU must be on or before that date.

The second rule — 3 months beyond departure

Separately, your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen Area. So both these have to be true:

• Issue date + 10 years > the day you arrive in the EU.
• Expiry date > the day you leave the EU + 3 months.

What happens if you fail either

Airlines are legally required to deny boarding. Border officers can refuse entry on arrival. Both happen, regularly, and the airline won't refund your ticket. If you have any doubt, run your dates through the free checker on this site before you book non-refundable travel.