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Warning issued to anyone who still has a red passport

13 July 2022, 11:49

What to do if you still have a red passport. Picture: Alamy/Getty Images

By Naomi Bartram

If you’re still carrying a red passport, it could be time to buy a new one.

A warning has now been issued to Brits with a European Union's UK and Northern Ireland passport.

If you’re heading off on holiday to another country over the next few weeks, there could be a problem with the validity of your ID.

While there might be a few months remaining on your passport before it expires, this might not be enough to meet the requirements of your destination.

Red passport holders are being told to check their documents. Picture: Alamy

Most countries require UK citizens to have three or six months left on their passport before it expires to enter the country.

70 of these use the six-month rule, including Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Philippines, Venezuela, Fiji, Vietnam and the British Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, 41 use the three-month rule including Austria, Norway, Germany, Greece, Poland, Malta, Belgium, Netherlands, New Zealand, France, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

If you want to check how long you need to have left on your passport, you can look on the Gov.uk website here.

For anyone who needs to renew their passport, you should allow up to ten weeks to receive the new one as there is currently a backlog of paperwork.

Brits are being urged to check their passports. Picture: Alamy

If you need a passport quicker than that, you can also book a passport office appointment and pay online to get a one week fast track service.

This costs £142 for an adult passport and £122 for a child passport.

The warning comes after it was revealed British holidaymakers entering most European Union countries will be charged an extra fee from next year onwards.

It applies to those wanting to get into Schengen Area countries which includes 22 EU countries, along with non-EU states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.

Applying for the extra security check will cost you €7 (£6), but once you've filled it in it is valid for up to three years.