Passport

[trucker-tim]

Hi does anyone know how long you need to have left on your UK passport if you are travelling to Spain?

Is it the normal 6 months or is it less due to being EU?

Seems the passport and foreign office websites are very vague on it so if anyone knows that would be great :-)

Thanks

[{Dakota}]

You can travel to any EU Country on a passport with less than 6 months on it, you'll need to be back in the UK before the day it expires though.

Outside the EU, you need 6 months left on it by the time you're travelling back to the UK.

[Buenchico]

Firstly, there's nothing 'normal' about a 6 month validity requirement. It's largely a myth that most countries have such a requirement. The reality is that very few countries require 6 months validity on your passport.

Secondly, EU law requires that all EU countries must admit any EU citizen who can prove their citizenship by producing a valid passport or national identity card. You can arrive in any EU country with just a few minutes left on your passport's validity and you must be admitted.

The few countries which do require a certain length of time on your passport are generally concerned that your passport shouldn't run out during your visit, even if your stay has to be extended because you fall in and end up in hospital. Such concerns can't apply to EU countries because, once you've entered, you're never obliged to leave. (i.e. you have the right to enter Spain and stay there for the rest of your life, if you so choose).

Chris

[pink-kittens]

What Dakota says isn't strictly true

If you search here in travel for posts by dzug and Beuenchico, on this subject there are just a couple/few countries that require this 6 months rule

[trucker-tim]

Many thanks to you both for such great and detailed answers - I really appreciate it :-)

[pink-kittens]

Sorry Chris, always spell your sign in name incorrectly :)

[trucker-tim]

Thanks Pink-kittens to you too :-)

[Buenchico]

Apology accepted, Pink-Kittens. You obviously didn't take Spanish at school ;-)

As P-K points out, Dakota seems determined to perpetuate the myth about the 6 month rule. It simply doesn't apply to the majority of non-EU countries which are popular with UK tourists. For example, Switzerland only requires that an EU passport should be valid until the date of departure from their country. A similar rule applies to holders of UK passports entering the USA (which has some of the strictest immigration requirements in the world).

At least Dakota and I agree about entry to Spain. As long as your passport is 'in date', you'll have no problems.

Chris

[Trikkeuk]

http://www.citybreaks-direct-info.co.uk/index. asp?city=murcia

You can travel to spain if you have a british passport even if expired for up to 12 mths see above link and airline as confirmed

[dzug]

The only things I would be wary of on that 12 months expired are:

will the airline know?

is it a loophole that the Spanish closed when they brought in the API requirement?

It was certainly true and verified a few years back

[Trikkeuk]

well my daughters is 2 week expired...I will get it renewed once we get bk.