Guidance
Passport rules for travel to Europe after Brexit
Advice for British passport holders in the unlikely event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Check a passport for travel to Europe
Before booking travel, check your adult and child passports meet the new rules that would apply if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
You can use this tool to check a passport for travel to Europe.
Rules for passports
The rules for travel to most countries in Europe will change if the UK leaves the European Union (EU) with no deal.
After 29 March 2019:
- You should have at least 6 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 6 months that should be remaining for travel to most countries in Europe.
The new rules will apply to passports issued by the UK, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey.
List of countries affected
The new rules will apply for travel to and between countries in the Schengen area. These are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Travel to other EU countries
The new rules do not apply when travelling to Ireland.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania are not in the Schengen area. You should check the entry requirements for these countries.
Applying for a new passport
If your passport doesn’t meet the new rules, you should apply for a new passport before travelling to the countries affected.
Do not book travel unless your passport meets the entry requirements of the country you’re travelling to.
Make sure you apply in plenty of time. If you need to, you can apply to get a passport urgently.
Guidance on the new rules
Read the government’s detailed guidance about passports and travel to the EU if there’s no deal.
Published 13 September 2018
Last updated 4 December 2018 + show all updates
Last updated 4 December 2018 + show all updates
