A British holidaymaker was reportedly slapped with a fine of £3000 after being caught out by the “passport 10-year rule” while travelling to the European Union. Huw Gosling could not take the flight to Bulgaria last year as his passport was issued more than 10 years before the departure date.
Huw, 69, from Porthcawl in Bridgend county, and his partner, Patricia, 70, were looking forward to a “dream week” in Sofia, Bulgaria, to see an opera in July 2023, reports BBC.
The couple was planning to see German composer Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, which Mr Gosling described as “20 hours of opera over four days. It’s very special.”
He and Patricia, who was in a wheelchair, had bought the tickets a year earlier because they were “really difficult to get”.
However, at the flight gate at Birmingham Airport, Huw was told he could not travel because his passport had been issued more than 10 years earlier.
He told BBC: “I was livid, but I didn’t know who to be livid with.”
The new rule which came into effect after Brexit need tourists travelling to the EU countries within the bloc – as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, although not Ireland – to have a passport that was issued less than 10 years before their departure date.
UK passports are valid for exactly 10 years, but those issued before September 2018 could be valid for 10 years and nine months because the Passport Office used to add up to nine months from an old passport onto a new one.
Since the UK left the EU, travellers heading to all countries within the bloc – as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, although not Ireland – must have a passport that was issued less than 10 years before their departure date.
Before travelling Huw had entered his passport details on the IATA Travel Centre website, which confirmed to him that “the documentation you hold is sufficient”.
He had a 10-year passport running out in nine months’ time, so thought his passport was valid for travel.
He said: “I knew I needed more than three months left on it and mine had nine, so it seemed like plenty.”
He added that his passport details had been checked when he checked in and booked his luggage at the airport.
“But when I got to the gate, the woman said ‘You can’t travel on this passport’. At the end of the day, the European rules had changed and I was not allowed to travel.
“I was livid almost with myself, but then I thought what more could I have done?,” he said, adding that he had checked with the airline and IATA before travelling.
“We lost everything. We lost our flights, they weren’t insured. And Patricia couldn’t travel alone because she’s in a wheelchair.”
He continued: “I was able to get money back for our hotel but not for the travel, car parking or opera tickets. We lost about £3,000.”
