Tourist says 10-year passport rule cost him £3,000 – BBC News

A holidaymaker says he lost £3,000 after being caught out by the “passport 10-year rule” when he tried to travel to the European Union.

Huw Gosling could not board the plane to Bulgaria last year because his passport was issued more than 10 years before the departure date.

“I was livid, but I didn’t know who to be livid with,” he said.

Huw, 69, from Porthcawl in Bridgend county, and his partner, Patricia, 70, were looking forward to a “dream week” in Sofia, Bulgaria to see an opera in July 2023.

They were planning to see German composer Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, which Mr Gosling described as “20 hours of opera over four days. It’s very special.”

He and Patricia, who was in a wheelchair, had bought the tickets a year earlier because they were “really difficult to get”.

However, at the flight gate at Birmingham Airport, Huw was told he could not travel because his passport had been issued more than 10 years earlier.

UK passports are valid for exactly 10 years, but those issued before September 2018 could be valid for 10 years and nine months because the Passport Office used to add up to nine months from an old passport onto a new one.

Since the UK left the EU, travellers heading to all countries within the bloc – as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, although not Ireland – must have a passport which was issued less than 10 years before their departure date.

Before travelling Huw had entered his passport details on the IATA Travel Centre website, which confirmed to him “the documentation you hold is sufficient”.

He had a 10-year passport running out in nine months’ time, so thought his passport was valid for travel.

“I knew I needed more than three months left on it and mine had nine, so it seemed like plenty,” he said, adding that his passport details had been checked when he checked in and booked his luggage at the airport.

“But when I got to the gate, the woman said ‘You can’t travel on this passport’.”

“I was livid, but I didn’t know who to be livid with,” he said.

“At the end of the day, the European rules had changed and I was not allowed to travel.

“I was livid almost with myself, but then I thought what more could I have done?,” he said, adding that he had checked with the airline and IATA before travelling.

“We lost everything. We lost our flights, they weren’t insured. And Patricia couldn’t travel alone because she’s in a wheelchair.”

“I was able to get money back for our hotel but not for the travel, car parking or opera tickets. We lost about £3,000,” he said.