Passport panic! Can’t get past the expiry warning to check in

[Tan210]

Hey going on my first cruise on 16/05 and trying to check in but can’t get past the passport expiry warning. My passport has the necessary validity on for my destination. Any ideas? 

[Host Hattie]

Which cruise line are you sailing with ?

[Tan210]

Thank you for the quick reply, it’s P and O. I’ve tried tweeting them and was on hold to their contact centre for ages yesterday 

[Host Hattie]

It might be worth asking on the P&O board.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/22-po-cruises-uk/

 

This is what their website says

Passports

P&O Cruises guests can board and travel to EU countries* if their passport was issued less than 10 years before the day of embarkation and still has at least three months left before the date of expiry of the passport, as at the date of disembarkation (regardless of whether or not the passport has an extension period).”

 

For cruises that travel outside the EU and in line with the requirements of many of these countries, guests are required to have six months validity left on their passports.

[Tan210]

Ok thank you v much I’ll do that. My passport meets those requirements but it just stops me from continuing check in process 

[Aulanis]

Are we talking about a UK passport here? and is flying involved?

 

It may just be a temporary glitch on P&O system  - it is maybe not

the most reliable.

[John Bull]

Until a few years ago it was possible to renew a passport up to six months early and have that time tacked onto the expiry date. So if your passport expired in June 2012 but you renewed it in January 2012 the new passport was valid until June 2012.

Same routine as an MOT certificate, which is why an MOT could be valid for up to 13 months.

When that concession was removed and passports were valid for exactly 10 years regardless of how early you applied for it, there was a great deal of publicity about it. I recall thinking that's fine for those whose passports were coming up for renewal, but what about those whose passport still has 8, 9, 10 years left? Will they know or remember that the expiry date is the anniversary of the issue date ?

 

That's why P&O's note says " if their passport was issued less than 10 years before the day of embarkation"

 

Check the date of issue on your passport. For most folk the day and month will be the same as the date of issue. Even if yours shows a later date of expiry, because that concession was removed it still expires on the anniversary of the date of issue.

Then allow for the minimum 3 month or 6 month validity, which you have done.

 

Was your passport issue date before 16th Feb 2013 (EU) or 16th Nov 2012 (rest of the world)? 

If so, it's not valid for travel

 

JB 🙂

Edited April 30, 2023 by John Bull