Martin Lewis issues passport warning to all Brit holidaymakers heading abroad

Martin Lewis has revealed two crucial checks to add to your 'To Do' list if you plan on travelling abroad this summer.

On his ITVX show, Martin Lewis Money Show Live, Lewis urged all Brits to check two specific details on their passports, or risk being turned away at the airport.

The Money Saving Expert first gave the travel advice a year ago, however, it still stands for 2023 so you should probably take a look.

Lewis explained that there are two details on your passport that can be easy to overlook, but are crucial if you don't want to run the risk of not being able to sit on a beach sipping on a cocktail.

On the show, he said: "You need to check if you’re going away; do you have six months or more left at the time you go away, and will the passport be under ten years old when you travel?

"There are many countries now where you won’t be allowed in unless you can fulfil those criteria.

"Since Brexit, even EU countries require UK passports to have three months left on them now for you to get in, and the passport must be under ten years old.

"Lots of people miss that second one, so check that."

The UK government's foreign travel advice page also states that you should check for this if you are planning to travel to any country in Europe - except Ireland - or 'Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City'.

Pexels/ Ethan Wilkinson

The requirements are called the 'Schenegen area passport requirements' and like Lewis said, the important areas to look out for on your passport are the 'date of issue' and 'expiry date'.

According to the government website, your passport must be issued 'less than 10 years before the date you enter the country' and must be 'valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave'.

The site concludes: "You must check your passport meets these requirements before you travel. If your passport was issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date.

"Contact the embassy of the country you are visiting if you think that your passport does not meet both these requirements.

"Renew your passport if you need to."

Pexels/ Oleksandr Pidvalnyi

And if you need to renew your passport this summer, then you'll also discover that passport application fees have increased.

On 2 February, 2023, the government introduced new fees for all applications for the first time in five years and it also included people newly applying, as well as those renewing their passports.

Previously, an adult paper form application cost £85 while a child's passport via paper form was £58.50.

Topics: Martin Lewis, Travel

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.