Just back from a trip to Croatia, this week Independent Travel writer Amelia Neath told me about a woman who was meant to be on her flight to Split, but was turned away at the gate. On presenting her travel documents, the unfortunate traveller was told that her passport was not valid for travel to Croatia – despite the fact that it had yet to reach its expiry date.
This woman had sadly been caught out by the ‘10-year issue rule’ that applies to Brits travelling to the European Union (as well as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein) since Brexit. This rule stipulates that “third country” nationals (which includes the UK since we left the EU on 31 January 2020) must present a travel document that has been issued within the previous 10 years the day you enter the EU. The other stipulation is that the passport should be valid until the end of the traveller’s stay plus an additional three months.
