Image credit: Maksims Grigorjevs
Thousands of people have been caught out by recent passport changes - mainly, the 10-year rule.
In this post-Brexit, post-Covid Great Britain, it can be difficult to keep up with the changing passport regulations. In fact, research by Confused.com reveals that one in 20 Brits have had to miss, cancel or postpone their travels due to an expired passport.
If you haven’t travelled for a while and you’re not au fait with the ‘non EU queue’, the extra checks, and haven’t looked to see if your passport is up to date, then it’s even more essential you read our advice before your next holiday.
We’ve broken down everything you need to know about our British passports in 2025, so you don’t get caught out at passport control.
Applying for a passport is the same as it's been for a few years.
The Home Office told Saga Magazine: “If we do not need any further information after receiving the application, customers can expect their passport within three weeks.”
That’s three weeks from when documents are received, not when you send them off, although that can change around public or school holidays.
The changes to passports in 2025 come in over the validity of your passport as you travel, its strength when getting a visa and the time you'll take at border controls.
As of April 10 2025 the cost of a straightforward online passport application has jumped by £6 to £94.50.
This takes the cumulative rise in just two years to 25 per cent. It is now among the top four most expensive passports in Europe.
Find out more about passport fees on gov.uk.
Have you heard of the 10-year rule?
Every day some 200 British citizens are being refused entry to Europe through passport control because their passport is out of date.
After Brexit the UK became ‘third-country nationals’, meaning two new conditions for UK travellers to the EU and wider Schengen Area.
This came into force on 1 January 2021 when the UK left the EU and has been causing travellers issues ever since.
If your passport was issued after 2018, it’s valid for exactly ten years and you will be fine. If your passport was issued before September 2018, the Passport Office may have added the previous passport's leftover months on it, and it could be valid for up to ten years and nine months. This was ok when we were part of the EU. It is not ok now.
In this case, your passport hasn’t officially expired, and could be valid for travel elsewhere, but you will not be allowed to travel in Europe as it was issued more than 10 years ago. You will need a new one.
You cannot claim compensation if you are turned away as it is your responsibility to check your passport is valid for travel. Check your passport before you book your holiday.
If you’re travelling beyond the UK and wider Schengen Area, you also need to be aware of that individual country’s rules.
Each country has a different requirement for the months left to the passport's expiry date. Check the Post Office's guide to be sure.
Confused.com's survey found that around one in five (21%) Brits had to get their passport renewed within a few weeks of travelling, with many booking last-minute trips to renew their passport at an emergency passport office.
Of course, if your planned trip is just a weekend, that’s it, you’ve missed out.
The Home Office told Saga Magazine, “over 7,000 appointments for urgent services are made available across the seven passport offices in the UK each week.”
If you need a passport quickly, then you need to make an appointment at a passport office. The soonest appointment may not be at your nearest passport office so be prepared to travel anywhere in the country for this.
You can find the current guide to times and prices for fast track passports here and for new passports on a standard service here.
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Passport validity can be problematic for children's passports as they only last five years and that date can come round very quickly.
Be vigilant if you’re travelling with the grandchildren as getting a fast-track appointment for a child’s passport can take as long as a week.
Make sure you're on the official HM Passport Office site when you apply. There are fake sites set up to look like the official one, but will charge you extra, or worse still defraud you.
If you need help with applying for your passport, use the Post Office's Check & Send service. For £16 they will ensure you've included the correct documents, your photo is valid, all forms are filled in correctly and they send it by special delivery.
New passports are blue and biometric making it easier at border control to go through the gates. Although, if you’re travelling with a child you won’t be able to do this.
The EU emblem has gone, the embedded chip contains more information than ever, and advanced anti forgery methods like holograms, microprinting, and potentially more sophisticated RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips to prevent counterfeiting and identity theft are integrated.
Once the Entry/Exit System (EES) comes into play on 12 October 2025, passports will no longer need to be manually stamped as there will be a digital record instead.
Right now you do not need a visa to travel to the EU but that will change in 2026.
Once launched, British travellers will need a visa-waiver to visit most EU countries.
Known as the European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme (ETIAS), this means UK passport-holders will have to pay a fee of €7 (£6) for an electronic travel authorisation to get on the database. You can find out more on the ETIAS website.
It’s like the ESTA for the US, and will usually be issued in minutes. There will be a six-month grace period when it finally comes in, but be prepared for delays at the airport when it is introduced.
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If you haven’t travelled for a while you might be surprised when you reach your destination to be ushered into the non EU queue, and have to wait longer.
There is also a worry that once the EES begins in October this year, smaller airports across the EU won’t be able to cope with the EES registration, which could cause delays too.
A UK senior transport industry source suggested these seasonal airports may lack ‘sufficient manpower’.
It can be difficult to keep up with the latest travel rules, especially with many travellers still carrying the travel anxiety of COVID times, but don’t let this stop you exploring.
Know the rules, check your dates, and use that knowledge to relax into your holiday.
For guidance about applying for a passport, call the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000.
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