The Home Office has issued new information about the rules that will apply if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal.
The UK is due to leave the bloc on March 29. With strong opposition to Prime Minister Theresa May’s current deal on the terms of departure, and some prominent politicians arguing that so-called “crashing out” would be preferable to a bad deal, preparations are ramping up for such an outcome.
In the case of no deal, British passport holders will be considered third country nationals by the countries within the Schengen area.
The Home Office says this may mean you need to renew your passport earlier than planned, and notes:
- You should have at least six months left on your passport from your date of arrival. This applies to adult and child passports
- If you renewed a 10-year adult passport before it expired, extra months may have been added to your new passport’s expiry date, making it valid for more than 10 years. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the six months that should be remaining for travel to most countries in Europe
This includes passports issued by the UK, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey. You can check your passport status at this link.
Parliament will vote on Prime Minister May’s deal on January 15.
