More than one MILLION Brits face being banned from flights this summer due to passport confusion

AS many as one million Brits could have invalid passports – which could see them banned from boarding their flight at the airport this summer. New research conducted by Compare the Market has found that hundreds of thousands of passports are falling foul of two major rules. New research has found that one million Brits face falling foul of passport rules this summer Credit: Alamy If you still have a burgundy passport, one of the rules is likely to affect you Credit: Corbis The research analysed HM Passport Office Data in June 2026. One of the more common mistakes is passports not having at least three months left on them. Sign up for the Travel newsletter Thank you! This is required for more European countries like France and Spain, and the study found that as many as 705,904 passports in the UK don’t follow these guidelines. Some countries require even more than this – Turkey need 150 days and Egypt needs six months – so Brits need to check how long they have left after the expiry date before booking a holiday. This recently caught out one family who were forced to miss their ‘dream holiday’ to Egypt because one of their passports had less than six months left on it. Another rule that holidaymakers are still breaking is the 10-year rule, which no longer allows passports to be more than this. Pre-Brexit rules allowed passports to carry over 10 months from the previous document, meaning passports could be 10 years and 10 months. But those extra 10 months are no longer seen as valid, and it is thought that as many as 347,268 passports could be out of date due to this. Most read in Travel Anyone with a burgundy passport, issued before September 2018, are affected by this. This has affected a number of families already this year, including one who were forced to miss her 50th birthday abroad and was lest £900 out of pocket. Tim Knighton, travel insurance expert at Compare the Market, said: “Many travellers assume if they have a valid passport they can travel overseas without any issues, but that’s not always the case. “Some countries, including many popular European destinations, require several months’ validity extending beyond the length of a trip, so it’s important to check the entry requirements for each destination before travelling. Brits are being urged to check their passports before travelling Credit: Getty “With more than 700,000 UK passports now having less than three months’ validity remaining, it’s worth travellers taking a few minutes to check theirs before heading abroad.” The study also warned of the risk of passports being stolen or lost, with more than 422,000 reported this last year. This works out to more than 1,100 a day. He added: “While some travel insurance policies will cover lost and stolen passports, there are specific conditions and policies vary so it’s always worth comparing different deals and checking details of your cover to ensure you get the right level of protection for your circumstances.” If your passport is lost abroad, you will need to apply for an emergency one at the British embassy in that country. Here are some other passport rules you need to be aware of this summer to avoid holiday chaos. Passport Rules Comment now