UK passport holders advised to swat up on validity rules as passenger wrongly denied boarding

It's close to five years since Britain left the EU but many UK travellers are still being tripped up by the passport validity rules that came into force since Brexit.

Last summer, hundreds of travellers were caught out when immigration officials told them they didn't have enough months left on their passport. Long-awaited holidays were ruined when they were told they weren't allowed on the plane or train.

Now, confusion over the rules is still seeing passengers denied boarding - sometimes wrongly.

Yesterday, UK newspaper The Independent reported that a British citizen heading to Spain to celebrate his retirement was turned away by British Airways when trying to check in for his flight at Gatwick Airport.

Staff said that his passport was no longer valid for the EU as there was less than three months left until the 10th anniversary of its issue date.

As his passport was valid beyond the 10 year mark, BA has since acknowledged that this was an error and the passenger will be entitled to compensation for missing his trip.

To make sure you don't get caught out here’s everything you need to know about the new rules - and whether or not you can still use your current passport.

You might assume that your passport is valid up to the expiry date. But this isn’t always the case.

Before Brexit, Brits could travel up to and including the expiry date on their passports. But EU regulations now classify UK citizens as ‘third country nationals,’ meaning the rules have changed.

If a UK passport holder wants to visit the EU, they will need a passport:

These requirements apply to the whole Schengen area, which includes most EU countries plus Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland.

Though British citizens can enter the Schengen area with three months of