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[Dierdre]

Just renewed my passport this week as it stated on the Gov.uk website it would be invalid today and I need it in the next few weeks. The expiry date was actually Dec 2020 but this included 6 months added on from earlier renewals when we had to have 6 months left and also the fact we needed 6 months left to enter EU.  Now it states no change until Jan 2021 as we have a deal.
I bet they wont send my old one back with a refund for the new application as I've now got a year left again!  I wonder how many others have lost out on this? 

[Sparrow]

I've just checked it out on Yougov.  You are absolutely right, what a mess.  They obviously don't know what the hell they are doing.  Mind you if you want to travel in January next year, you will still need 6 months remaining.  Ours expire on the 1st of February, so we will have to renew this summer anyway.

[Katejo]

I've just checked it out on Yougov.  You are absolutely right, what a mess.  They obviously don't know what the hell they are doing.  Mind you if you want to travel in January next year, you will still need 6 months remaining.  Ours expire on the 1st of February, so we will have to renew this summer anyway.

  They actually started doing this in September 2018 shortly before I sent mine for renewal. There was an article about it on MSE forum. A year ago, when we were expecting to leave the EU on March 31st, I had to renew my passport 15 months early because I needed 6 months at the end and my passport included 9 months carried over from the previous passport. If we had left last March, I would not have been allowed to fly in June 2019 with my old passport.

[Pennyfarthing]

I renewed my passport last week, no problem.  it was due to expire on 1st March 2020.  On 22 January we went to a Post Office which offers the digital service where they take your photo, do all the paperwork etc. Our new passports arrived in the post 6 days later. Fabulous service!  Our old passports were returned (with corners sliced off) 2 days later.

They sent text messages every step of the way to say they had received our passports, had accepted our photos, were printing our passports and finally they had been despatched.

[Pennyfarthing]

Just renewed my passport this week as it stated on the Gov.uk website it would be invalid today and I need it in the next few weeks. The expiry date was actually Dec 2020 but this included 6 months added on from earlier renewals when we had to have 6 months left and also the fact we needed 6 months left to enter EU.  Now it states no change until Jan 2021 as we have a deal.
I bet they wont send my old one back with a refund for the new application as I've now got a year left again!  I wonder how many others have lost out on this? 

You've confused me Dierdre.  As far as I know it's always been the case that any unused time is not added on to your passport.   it's also always been the case that many countries insist that you have so many months left on your passport ... usually 6 months.

My friend is from Tanzania and booked a flight home returning two weeks later.    She was refused at the airport as, to her horror, they said she only had 5 months left on her passport. She cried, she begged and pleaded and showed them her return tickets but they wouldn't let her fly.  So she lost all the flight money plus huge disappointment for her family.  But rules are rules and this was about 4 years ago. 

[Sparrow]

To clarify.  Whilst in the EU and now up to the end of the transition period, you could/can, use your passport up to the expiry date for travel IN THE EU.

Once the transition period has ended you must have six months remaining for EU travel, just like the rest of the world.

[Katejo]

Just renewed my passport this week as it stated on the Gov.uk website it would be invalid today and I need it in the next few weeks. The expiry date was actually Dec 2020 but this included 6 months added on from earlier renewals when we had to have 6 months left and also the fact we needed 6 months left to enter EU.  Now it states no change until Jan 2021 as we have a deal.
I bet they wont send my old one back with a refund for the new application as I've now got a year left again!  I wonder how many others have lost out on this? 

You've confused me Dierdre.  As far as I know it's always been the case that any unused time is not added on to your passport.   it's also always been the case that many countries insist that you have so many months left on your passport ... usually 6 months.

My friend is from Tanzania and booked a flight home returning two weeks later.    She was refused at the airport as, to her horror, they said she only had 5 months left on her passport. She cried, she begged and pleaded and showed them her return tickets but they wouldn't let her fly.  So she lost all the flight money plus huge disappointment for her family.  But rules are rules and this was about 4 years ago.

  Unused months were added before sept 2018. I renewed  my passport in June 2009, 9 months before it was due to expire. The new one was due to be valid until March 2020 (9 months carried over) but I actually had to renew it 15 .months early because of the recent  changes caused by Brexit.

[Katejo]

To clarify.  Whilst in the EU and now up to the end of the transition period, you could/can, use your passport up to the expiry date for travel IN THE EU.

Once the transition period has ended you must have six months remaining for EU travel, just like the rest of the world.

And also those 6 months cannot include any months carried over from a previous passport. Those months are disregarded.

[Sparrow]

To clarify.  Whilst in the EU and now up to the end of the transition period, you could/can, use your passport up to the expiry date for travel IN THE EU.

Once the transition period has ended you must have six months remaining for EU travel, just like the rest of the world.

And also those 6 months cannot include any months carried over from a previous passport. Those months are disregarded.

That's exactly right.  Mine actually has a July expiry date, even though it was issued in the Feb ten years earlier.  Hence my having to renew a year, instead of six months early.

[Dierdre]

I didn't have any problem renewing my passport online, its the fact I didn't need to yet, until Dec 2020.  As we now have a deal for no change during transition, the old rule stands for passport  validation until January 2021 travelling to the EU.  If I'd known this last week I wouldn't have renewed yet.

[Sparrow]

I didn't have any problem renewing my passport online, its the fact I didn't need to yet, until Dec 2020.  As we now have a deal for no change during transition, the old rule stands for passport  validation until January 2021 travelling to the EU.

Yes, that's right.  But if you want to use it for travel in January 2021, you will need six months or more from then.  My extra six months will not be relevant either.

[Katejo]

I didn't have any problem renewing my passport online, its the fact I didn't need to yet, until Dec 2020.  As we now have a deal for no change during transition, the old rule stands for passport  validation until January 2021 travelling to the EU.

  Yes but once the passport office introduced the new rule of not carrying time over (in anticipation of leaving in March 2019) they didn't reintroduce it when Brexit was postponed. That is why you have lost months still on your previous passport.

[Dierdre]

Anyway it's done now, wonder if I'll get the new blue passport.

[Sparrow]

Anyway it's done now, wonder if I'll get the new blue passport.

They are still using up to old first but you never know.

[Katejo]

Anyway it's done now, wonder if I'll get the new blue passport.

They are still using up to old first but you never know.

I believe they have quite a large stock of maroon ones without the EU heading to use up first.