Holidaymakers are being warned to check how many pages are left in their passport before travelling, with a little-known rule causing issues at border control.
Passport holders are required to have at least two blank pages available in their travel document or risk it being declared invalid.
With entry and exit stamps issued for UK travellers to the European Union (EU) post Brexit, passports can very easily fill up.
If you’re planning a caravan or motorhome touring trip to multiple countries this summer, collecting stamps will be inevitable.
Greg Wilson, CEO of Quotezone.co.uk said: “Filling up the pages in your passport may have felt like an unlikely task years ago, but since Brexit, many are finding their passport pages becoming fuller as new rules mean UK passport holders must have their passport stamped each time they enter and leave the EU.
“If you do run out of pages in your passport, you will have to renew your passport sooner than its expiry date, so make sure to keep a keen eye on the remaining empty pages.”
Know the passport rules
A standard UK passport is issued with 34 pages, but larger ones can be requested with 54 pages at an additional cost.
While this is a bigger initial outlay, it can work out cheaper than replacing an entire passport early due to a lack of free pages.
As well as room for stamps, some countries require travel documents to have two additional pages available for visas.
Another area that has led to problems for passport holders is the date of expiry. Some nations insist on six months of validity after an individual has left the country.
Official advice from HM Passport Office is that a passport must not expire within three months of your departure from the EU.
If you’re planning on taking your caravan or motorhome further afield, it’s worth checking the passport rules in advance to prevent any problems.
Also, be sure to get your passport out to inspect it well in advance of setting off on your touring trip, as any damage can also make it invalid.
This includes peeling laminate plastic, loose or torn pages, stains or water marks, and even decorative stickers.
Future changes to the rules
The EU has announced plans to introduce a new entry-exit system later this year, which will replace physical stamping with biometric fingerprint and facial scanning.
While this could mean there’s less of a need for larger passports, it’s unclear how long it will take for all border controls to have the new system in place.
In the meantime, ensure there are enough blank pages in your passport for stamps from all the countries you plan to visit on your touring trip, with a few to spare.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Ethan Wilkinson
