Passport Query

[eric4395]

Hi  Everyone check in day for our 10 day  p& o cruise in 3 weeks time 

However not allowing us to check in online.

Our passports are date of issue feb 2014

Expiry date is April 2024

The 3 countries we visit. Spain , France ,Portugal  say you only need at least 3 months/ 90 days so as far as I can see they are still valid. Any advice on this from anyone who has had similar. I take it there should be no problem to check in at terminal. Thanks for any help.

 

[zap99]

36 minutes ago, eric4395 said:

Hi  Everyone check in day for our 10 day  p& o cruise in 3 weeks time 

However not allowing us to check in online.

Our passports are date of issue feb 2014

Expiry date is April 2024

The 3 countries we visit. Spain , France ,Portugal  say you only need at least 3 months/ 90 days so as far as I can see they are still valid. Any advice on this from anyone who has had similar. I take it there should be no problem to check in at terminal. Thanks for any help.

 

You may find  that the extra 2 months are not allowed in the Euro zone and that the validity is only to Feb 2024, not April 2024. Some companies require the passport to remain valid for 6 months after your return.

Edited September 16, 2023 by zap99

[Ataraxia]

I believe it is six months - and the actual expiry date is now 10 years from the ISSUE date.

 

[Denarius]

40 minutes ago, eric4395 said:

Hi  Everyone check in day for our 10 day  p& o cruise in 3 weeks time 

However not allowing us to check in online.

Our passports are date of issue feb 2014

Expiry date is April 2024

The 3 countries we visit. Spain , France ,Portugal  say you only need at least 3 months/ 90 days so as far as I can see they are still valid. Any advice on this from anyone who has had similar. I take it there should be no problem to check in at terminal. Thanks for any help.

 

This is a bit of a minefield.

Portugal, Spain and France are all part of the Schengen area of the EU and the EU's Schengen area rules apply. The link that follows will take you to the relevant page of the EU's website.

 

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-nationals/index_en.htm

 

The relevant section reads

"If you are a national from a country outside the EU wishing to visit or travel within the EU, you will need a valid passport and possibly a visa. Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU and it must have been issued within the last 10 years. This means your travel document must have been issued within the previous 10 years the day you enter the EU on condition that is it valid until the end of your stay plus an additional 3 months. "

 

One thing to watch is that the EU no longer recognise any extra months added to a passport because it was issued before the previous one had expired. They consider it to expire 10 years after issue. In your case, this means in Feb 2024 not April 2024.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Denarius
clarification

[tiggis]

The one consolation is that new passports are currently being processed in around one week, assuming you apply online. Make sure you get photos that are verified and come with a code (which you enter during the application process and avoids the need to scan a photo).

[eric4395]

13 minutes ago, Denarius said:

This is a bit of a minefield.

Portugal, Spain and France are all part of the Schengen area of the EU and the EU's Schengen area rules apply. The link that follows will take you to the relevant page of the EU's website.

 

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-nationals/index_en.htm

 

The relevant section reads

"If you are a national from a country outside the EU wishing to visit or travel within the EU, you will need a valid passport and possibly a visa. Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU and it must have been issued within the last 10 years. This means your travel document must have been issued within the previous 10 years the day you enter the EU on condition that is it valid until the end of your stay plus an additional 3 months. "

 

One thing to watch is that the EU no longer recognise any extra months added to a passport because it was issued before the previous one had expired. They consider it to expire 10 years after issue. In your case, this means in Feb 2024 not April 2024.

I am still within the 3 months though as even if it is feb 2024 when it  expires i am off the cruise on oct17 th and its feb 8th 2014 when it was issued  so that is more than 90 days?

[eric4395]

24 minutes ago, Ataraxia said:

I believe it is six months - and the actual expiry date is now 10 years from the ISSUE date.

 

It says 90 days  for france portugal and spain. ?

[yorkshirephil]

3 minutes ago, eric4395 said:

I am still within the 3 months though as even if it is feb 2024 when it  expires i am off the cruise on oct17 th and its feb 8th 2014 when it was issued  so that is more than 90 days?

We were in a similar position and I emailed P&O and got the answer below, however that does not solve the problem of not being able to book in online, I would ring P&O or email and see what they say. I do remember some faceache posts where people had been told to wait until they got to the port to book in and fill in blank luggage tags supplier. But for peace of mind I would check. I think the reason that P&O set their system to 6 months is to cover all eventualities as some countries require that 6 months is available on your passport upon return.

 

Thank you for your email regarding your passport.

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).

I hope this information has helped to answer your enquiry and we look forward to welcoming you on board.

[cruisingiscool]

We had this problem. We cruised in June this year and our passports were issued Feb 2014  but expired June 2024. The person at check in said that we would not be able to use them for any later cruises due to issue date. We another cruise in August around Britain but we're told we would need new passports though not sure if this was accurate. Anyway we applied as soon as we got back from June cruise. Took photographs using an online app which was brilliant. Sent them off on a Sunday. DH got new one in his hands on the Thursday and mine arrived on the Friday. So my advice for what it's worth is get a new one. Do it online as others have advised. It's a doddle!

[Denarius]

34 minutes ago, eric4395 said:

I am still within the 3 months though as even if it is feb 2024 when it  expires i am off the cruise on oct17 th and its feb 8th 2014 when it was issued  so that is more than 90 days?

On my understanding of the EU rules you should be OK. But as others have since posted P&O quote 6 months, probably because many of their cruises visit non EU countries some of which have different rules. So probably best to make them aware of the situation.

[eric4395]

Just now, Denarius said:

On my understanding of the EU rules you should be OK. But as others have since posted P&O quote 6 months, probably because many of their cruises visit non EU countries some of which have different rules. So probably best to make them aware of the situation.

Yes I have been in touch with my travel agent who booked the cruise and they are going to get in touch with p&o on Monday to confirm all will be ok.

[AlexMcSpot]

I've seen a few ask this question. I'm not trying to be funny, there could be genuine reasons, but I wondered if you only have so few months left on your passport, why not update it and save all the worry?

[eric4395]

5 minutes ago, AlexMcSpot said:

I've seen a few ask this question. I'm not trying to be funny, there could be genuine reasons, but I wondered if you only have so few months left on your passport, why not update it and save all the worry

Well as its the last holiday i will prob be taking till well into next year why give up 6 months of my passport. I wont be worried till p& o officially tell me its invalid, i will get this confirmed on monday  one way or another.

Looking at the replies it is still valid .

[Megabear2]

We had this problem for my husband in July.  It was explained whilst technically valid there could be difficulties on any diversions to countries with different rules- Greece was specifically mentioned.  After discussing it we bought the new passport.  

[cruising.mark.uk]

12 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

We had this problem for my husband in July.  It was explained whilst technically valid there could be difficulties on any diversions to countries with different rules- Greece was specifically mentioned.  After discussing it we bought the new passport.  

If the OP finds themselves diverted to Greece on a 10 day cruise to France, Spain and Portugal, I suspect they'll have much more to worry about than whether their passport is in date 🤣

[AlanCruise]

Replies elsewhere have said that P&O online check in has a generic check for 6 months regardless of destination, but that the passport will be accepted when you board as it meets the requirements for the EU. (And Greece follows the same rules as the rest of the EU! )

[9265359]

3 hours ago, Denarius said:

One thing to watch is that the EU no longer recognise any extra months added to a passport because it was issued before the previous one had expired. They consider it to expire 10 years after issue. In your case, this means in Feb 2024 not April 2024.

 

Some EU border guards might hold that view, but that isn't what EU law says - 

 

EUR-Lex - 32016R0399 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)

 

1.   For intended stays on the territory of the Member States of a duration of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay, the entry conditions for third-country nationals shall be the following:

(a) they are in possession of a valid travel document entitling the holder to cross the border satisfying the following criteria:

(i) its validity shall extend at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States. In a justified case of emergency, this obligation may be waived;

(ii) it shall have been issued within the previous 10 years;

 

As you can see the first condition is the passport has validity for three months after the date of departure which includes any extra months as the passport is valid up to that point, and it is only the the second condition that refers to having been issued in the previous 10 years where a valid but issued more than 10 years ago passport can be refused.

 

But whether anyone wishes to argue with an EU border guard over this point is up to them.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, AlexMcSpot said:

I've seen a few ask this question. I'm not trying to be funny, there could be genuine reasons, but I wondered if you only have so few months left on your passport, why not update it and save all the worry?

If a 10 year passport is £90, changing it 3 month early costs £2.25. As pensioners we don't have money to burn.🤣

[AlexMcSpot]

19 minutes ago, zap99 said:

If a 10 year passport is £90, changing it 3 month early costs £2.25. As pensioners we don't have money to burn.🤣

Fair enough, but I just wonder if the worry is worth it, personally I prefer the certainty - oh and I'm a pensioner as well. 🙂

Edited September 16, 2023 by AlexMcSpot

[zap99]

2 hours ago, AlexMcSpot said:

Fair enough, but I just wonder if the worry is worth it, personally I prefer the certainty - oh and I'm a pensioner as well. 🙂

I did put a laughing smiley on my post. Of course the cost doesn't offset the stress. I changed mine 6 months early as I had a few months added last time and DW will change hers a bit early.  Mine took 10 days last time. The main problem for us is finding a space in our schedule to be passportless.

Edited September 16, 2023 by zap99

[yorkshirephil]

10 minutes ago, zap99 said:

 

The main problem for us is finding a space in our schedule to be passportless.

Ain't that the truth. We renewed ours early and got them back within 10 days so I booked a cruise for the following week to celebrate, no point spending all that brass on a new passport then not getting it coloured in.

[jh1809]

4 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

If the OP finds themselves diverted to Greece on a 10 day cruise to France, Spain and Portugal, I suspect they'll have much more to worry about than whether their passport is in date 🤣

Could conceivably be diverted to Morocco, though. I've no idea what their rules are. (They aren't in the EU, of course.)

[July morning]

Similar thing happened with our passports couldn't be bothered with the stress got new ones all done online within a week 😁

by the way I'm on this cruise as well and couldn't check-in shall try tomorrow I think it could be that we're all trying to check-in on the first day 😂

[eric4395]

14 hours ago, July morning said:

Similar thing happened with our passports couldn't be bothered with the stress got new ones all done online within a week 😁

by the way I'm on this cruise as well and couldn't check-in shall try tomorrow I think it could be that we're all trying to check-in on the first day 😂

In all honesty I would be more stressed with less than 3 weeks to go before we cruise that there was any kind of delay in getting our new passports as it says on the website  it can take up to a month, despite the fact others say it was done within a week/ 10 days.. There are still occasional delays for some people.

Surely P&O can clarify tomrow when my travel agent calls them ( I have also emailed customer services personally) that with the details I have gave them all is in order to check in at the port with no further problems.

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, eric4395 said:

In all honesty I would be more stressed with less than 3 weeks to go before we cruise that there was any kind of delay in getting our new passports as it says on the website  it can take up to a month, despite the fact others say it was done within a week/ 10 days.. There are still occasional delays for some people.

Surely P&O can clarify tomrow when my travel agent calls them ( I have also emailed customer services personally) that with the details I have gave them all is in order to check in at the port with no further problems.

In about the last year of validity we check when we have a window of a month ,or so with no foreign travel planed. That's when the passport goes off for renewal. Preferably about 6 months, ish.