Over the past month, there has been extensive media coverage concerning families and individuals who were turned away at airports because their passports lacked sufficient validity or exceeded the 10-year rule.
The primary reason is that individuals typically focus solely on the expiration date and may not realise that certain countries demand passports to have up to six months of validity beyond this date. Another concern arises from people who renewed prior to 2018: if you renewed your passport with nine months remaining on the old one, that duration would be tacked onto the validity of your new passport. Consequently, some individuals found themselves with passports expiring in ten years and nine months. Since we left the EU Brexit, entry will be denied if your passport’s issue date exceeds ten years.
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What we are doing to help?
To help reduce the risk of people not having enough validity on their passport for certain countries we are launching the first ever Passport Reminder Service. Designed to alleviate the confusion surrounding passport expiration dates, our service offers a simple yet effective solution to ensure that your travel documents are always up-to-date.
How does the new reminder service work?
It’s easy. Users join the reminder service through our website, simply provide us with your passport issue and expiry date. We will ensure you don’t fall foul of the ten year rule and always have enough validity on your passport for every country in the world. Our system diligently tracks the expiration date of your passport and sends you timely reminders when it’s time to renew. This proactive approach significantly reduces the risk of travel disruptions caused by outdated or soon-to-expire passports.
How do I join the passport reminder service?
If you would like to join our reminder service simply enter your passport issue and expiry date here and you will receive an email confirmation.
Our petition to the UK Government
In addition to our innovative reminder service, we are taking a proactive stance to ensure all passport holders are advised of a recommended renewal date. We’ve launched a petition urging the UK Government to include a “Renew By” date on every new passport.
Why is this important?
Currently, passports only display their expiration date, leaving travellers unaware of when they should begin the renewal process. By adding a “Renew By” date, individuals will have a clear indication of when they need to initiate the renewal process, preventing last-minute scrambles and ensuring smooth travels.
We believe that this simple addition to passport documentation will make a world of difference for travellers, reducing the likelihood of disrupted travel plans and alleviating unnecessary stress. But we can’t do it alone – we need your help to make this change a reality.
Our Petition
Add a recommended renewal date to UK Passports
Introduce a ‘Renew By’ date to be printed inside a UK passport which would clearly indicate the latest date by which a passport should be renewed in order to meet passport validity rules for other countries.
In light of confusion regarding passport validity, which has resulted in families and individuals being turned away at the airport, we propose that a recommended renewal date be printed within the passport. This could help make people more aware of when they should be renewing their passport and not just the expiry date. This change could enhance the understanding of passport validity requirements, reducing the risk of travel plans being affected by outdated or soon-to-expire passports.
With your help we could really help to make this much needed addition to the passport.
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