Travel tools

UK Passport Validity Checker for Europe

Use this free checker to see whether your UK passport meets the issue-date and expiry-date rules commonly applied for travel to Spain, France and the other destinations listed below. It is a date-validity guide only — not a visa, ETIAS, EES or entry-eligibility check.

Check your passport dates

Enter the dates printed in your passport and your planned travel dates. This tool checks date-validity rules only for the listed destinations.

Type DD/MM/YYYY or use the calendar (month and year dropdowns). As printed in your passport.

Type DD/MM/YYYY or use the calendar. The expiry date printed in your passport.

Type DD/MM/YYYY or use the calendar. The date you plan to enter the destination or Schengen area.

Type DD/MM/YYYY or use the calendar. The date you plan to leave the destination or Schengen area.

Choose from the destinations this checker covers.

What passport validity rules does the checker use?

For the destinations covered here, the checker assesses these date rules:

  • The passport issue date must be less than 10 calendar years before your date of entry.
  • The passport expiry date must be at least 3 calendar months after the date you leave the destination or Schengen area.
  • The passport must not already be expired on your entry or departure dates.

The expiry date does not need to fall within 10 years of the issue date. What matters for the issue-date rule is how old the passport is on the day you enter.

Why can an unexpired UK passport still be refused?

Before October 2018, some renewed UK passports were issued with extra months of validity carried over from a previous passport. That can make a passport look valid for more than 10 years from the printed issue date, even though the issue-date rule for many European trips still counts from the issue date shown.

The result is that an unexpired passport can still fail the “issued less than 10 years before entry” rule. Always check both the issue date and the expiry date against your travel dates.

Which destinations does this checker cover?

This tool is limited to the destinations below. It does not mean every European country applies identical passport rules, and it does not cover Ireland or destinations outside this list.

  • Spain
  • France
  • Portugal
  • Italy
  • Greece
  • Germany
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • Switzerland
  • Austria
  • Norway
  • Iceland
  • Denmark
  • Sweden
  • Finland
  • Poland
  • Croatia
  • Malta
  • Slovenia
  • Estonia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Czechia
  • Slovakia
  • Hungary
  • Liechtenstein
  • Luxembourg
  • Monaco
  • San Marino
  • Vatican City

What this checker does not cover

  • Visas, visa waivers or residence permissions
  • ETIAS or Entry/Exit System (EES) requirements
  • Maximum length of stay or immigration conditions
  • Transit rules through other countries
  • Damaged, lost or stolen passports
  • Airline check-in policies or carrier-specific rules

Always confirm the latest official GOV.UK foreign travel advice for your destination. Guidance last reviewed: 23 July 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need six months left on my passport for Europe?

For the destinations covered by this checker, the common date rule checked here is at least three calendar months’ validity after your planned departure — not a blanket six-month rule. Always confirm the latest official advice for your trip.

Does my passport need to be less than ten years old?

For these destinations, your passport should have been issued less than 10 calendar years before the date you enter. Extra validity that was sometimes added to older renewals does not extend that issue-date window.

Is the three-month rule counted from arrival or departure?

This checker counts three calendar months from your planned departure from the destination or Schengen area, not from arrival.

What if I visit more than one Schengen country?

Use the date you leave the Schengen area (or your final listed destination on this trip) as the departure date. The same date-validity rules are applied across the destinations listed here.

Does this checker apply to Ireland?

No. Ireland is not included in this tool’s destination list. Check GOV.UK travel advice for Ireland separately.

Can an airline apply stricter checks?

Yes. Airlines and border authorities can apply their own checks. Meeting the date rules in this tool does not guarantee boarding or entry.

Should I renew if my passport only just meets the rules?

If your dates only barely meet the issue-date or expiry rules, consider renewing before travel and confirm requirements with your airline and GOV.UK advice.