With the new expiry date rules, Brexit could render passport invalid for travel across Europe. Myriad questions have sprung up surrounding travel to the EU once Britain has officially left it and the Brexit negotiations have begun.
As per the current rules of passport expiry, the passports may be rendered invalid once the formal process of Brexit is complete.
Guidelines for travel within the Schengen Area state that the travel document must be valid for the duration of the stay, but doesn’t need to have any extra validity. Also, according to the European Commission, even if the British passport is only valid until the day after return, one would still be able to travel.
Even though the UK is not part of Schengen, it still benefits from this agreement thanks to its membership of the EU. Other non-Schengen countries are subjected to different rules, requiring at least three months validity on their passport for any travel to Europe. With UK leaving its EU membership, chances are that it will be obliged to abide by the same rules.
Confusion regarding the current guidelines was already existent and it seems to be even more puzzling now. Several passengers have been wrongly refused travel to Europe by UK airlines because of their passport expiry dates.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has kept its entry requirement travel advice for European countries unchanged since Article 50 was delivered. Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay as per the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Although Britons can safely travel throughout Europe with passports valid for the proposed duration of their stay, chances of the implied changes are likely to be introduced post-2018.
