When should I renew my passport? A UK guide for families

When should I renew my passport? Before you book the trip, not when you notice the expiry date. For travel to EU countries (apart from Ireland), GOV.UK says a UK passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave. Other countries have their own rules, set out in GOV.UK's foreign travel advice. So the safe answer is to check every passport in the family against the rules for where you're going, and renew any that fall short well before you pay for anything.

For a family, that's several passports on different cycles, and children's ones run out twice as often as yours. Here's how to work out who needs what, and a once-a-year routine that keeps it all in hand.

How long UK passports last

There are two lengths to keep in your head:

• Adult passports are normally valid for 10 years.
• Child passports, for children under 16, are valid for 5 years.

That means a family's passports almost never line up. A parent's might have years left while a child's runs out next spring. And because a child passport is only for under 16s, a teenager's next one will be an adult passport, which is easy to forget when you're used to a five-year rhythm.

The date printed on the passport is when it stops being valid at all. The trouble is that for many trips, it stops being good enough some time before that.

The rules for EU and Schengen travel

This is where most families get caught out. GOV.UK's entry requirements for EU countries set out two separate checks for UK passport holders, and a passport has to pass both.

1. The issue date. The passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive. This is the one people miss, because they only look at the expiry date.
2. Validity after you leave. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave.

Ireland is the exception: GOV.UK lists these rules for EU countries except Ireland. The same rules also apply in several other European countries, so check the page for wherever you're going.

Why older passports cause trouble

GOV.UK warns that passports renewed before 1 October 2018 may have been issued more than 10 years ago even though the expiry date is still in the future. GOV.UK also says the expiry date doesn't need to fall within 10 years of the issue date, so a passport like that can look fine on the front and still fail the issue date check for Schengen travel.

That doesn't affect child passports in the same way, since they only last 5 years, but it's worth checking an adult passport with an expiry date that looks generous.

A worked example

Say you're planning a week in Spain next August and a parent's passport was issued in March 2017, with an expiry date in late 2027.

• Issue date check: by August 2027 that passport will be more than 10 years old. It fails.
• Validity check: it would have looked fine on expiry date alone.

The fix is to renew it now, before you book, rather than finding out at check-in. Work through the same two checks for every passport, using your own dates and the current rules on GOV.UK.

Checking other destinations

Outside Europe the rules vary from country to country. Some want a certain number of months left on your passport when you arrive, and some need a visa or an electronic travel authorisation as well.

GOV.UK's foreign travel advice has an entry requirements page for every country. Before you book:

• Look up the entry requirements for each country you'll enter, including any you're only passing through.
• Note how much validity is needed, and from which date (arrival, departure or the length of your stay).
• Check whether you need a visa or travel authorisation, and whether children need anything different.
• Confirm with your airline or travel company that your passports meet the rules.

Rules change, so check again shortly before you travel, not just when you book.

When should I renew my passport? A simple rule for families

Put it this way: a passport needs renewing before you book any trip it won't comfortably cover. In practice, that means looking at each passport against three dates, not one.

• The expiry date, for the obvious reason.
• The issue date, for anywhere that uses the 10 year rule.
• The date you leave your destination, plus the validity it asks for.

If any passport in the family fails any of those for a trip you're planning, renew it first and book after.

How far ahead to apply

There's no fixed number of weeks that's right for everyone. GOV.UK's renewal page says to check how long it'll take on HM Passport Office's current processing times before you apply, and its air travel checklist warns that renewing can take up to 10 weeks. GOV.UK also advises not booking travel until you have a valid passport.

For a family, give yourself plenty of room:

• Start the check when you start planning, not when you're ready to pay.
• Allow for hold-ups at home, like getting a decent photo of a toddler or finding the old passports.
• Do children's passports first, since they're the ones most likely to have run out.

If something has gone wrong and you need a passport urgently, GOV.UK lists faster services (Online Premium and 1 week Fast Track). Check the current details on GOV.UK.

Your new passport has a new number

GOV.UK points out that a renewed passport has a different number from the old one. If you've already got bookings, an electronic travel authorisation or advance passenger details saved anywhere, update them with the new number.

A family passport expiry routine

The aim is to never be surprised. A short check once a year does it.

Once: gather the details

Sit down with every passport in the house and write down, for each person:

• Full name as it appears on the passport
• Passport number
• Issue date
• Expiry date
• The date it stops meeting the 10 year issue rule (issue date plus 10 years), for adults

Keep the passports themselves together, somewhere safe at home, and keep this list somewhere you'll actually look, like a notes app, a paper diary or the family calendar.

Every year: the January check

Pick a fixed time, January works well because that's when many people plan summer holidays, and run through:

1. Is any passport expiring in the next 12 to 18 months? Plan to renew it before the next trip.
2. Will any adult passport be close to 10 years old by your likely travel dates? Renew it too.
3. Has anyone turned, or is about to turn, 16? Their next passport is an adult one.
4. Do you know where you're going? Check the entry requirements on GOV.UK's foreign travel advice.

Set reminders that land early

For each passport, add a reminder about a year before it runs out, and another six months before. That gives you time to renew at a quiet moment, not in a rush before a booked holiday.

mylife/ can hold this for you. Passports can sit in the documents ledger with their expiry dates, and you get a nudge before they run out, never during your quiet hours. Trips, bookings and reference numbers go in the travel ledger, and you can show Slash a photo or PDF of a booking and it fills in the details for you to check. To see how it fits around family life, try mylife/ free for 3 days.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Only checking the expiry date. For most of Europe, the issue date matters as much.
• Checking your own passport and not the children's. Theirs run out twice as often.
• Booking first, checking second. If a passport needs renewing, you're then racing a deadline.
• Forgetting the new number. Bookings made with an old passport number may need updating.
• Trusting an old rule. Entry requirements change, so check GOV.UK each time.

For the rest of the paperwork that repeats every year, the life admin checklist puts it all in one place, and if you've got a car to sort before the trip, see what to do when a car tax reminder doesn't arrive. There's more in the guides.

Frequently asked questions

How many months should be left on my passport to travel to Europe?

For EU countries except Ireland, GOV.UK says your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave. It must also have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, so check both dates.

How long is a child passport valid for in the UK?

GOV.UK says a child passport is valid for 5 years. You apply for a child passport if your child is under 16; after that, they need an adult passport.

Can I renew my passport before it expires?

Yes, and it's often wise if you've a trip coming up that it won't cover. Bear in mind your renewed passport will have a new number, so update any bookings made with the old one.

How long does it take to renew a UK passport?

It varies, so check HM Passport Office's current processing times on GOV.UK before you apply. GOV.UK's air travel checklist warns renewing can take up to 10 weeks, and advises not booking travel until you have a valid passport.

Do I need to check passport rules for every country?

Yes. Every country sets its own entry requirements, so check GOV.UK's foreign travel advice for each country you'll visit or pass through, and confirm with your airline or travel company.