Passport rules for travel to Europe

​Travel requirements​​​​

Since 1 January 2021 travel requirements have changed to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (the Schengen Area).​

Third country passports must:

• have been issued within the last 10 years on the date of arrival in a Schengen country
  
• have at least 3 months validity remaining on the date of intended departure from the last country visited in the Schengen Area
  

If you travel to EU countries that are not in the Schengen area you need to check the entry requirements for that country before you travel. 

Foreign travel advice​

Cyprus is an EU country not in the Schengen Area.

Travel to Ireland is subject to separate Common Travel Area arrangements.

Check your passport issue and expiry date

If you're planning to visit the Schengen Area you should do the following checks:

• look at the issue date. On the day you plan to arrive, will your passport have had its tenth birthday? The answer should be no
  
• look at the expiry date. On the day you plan to come back, will your passport have at least 3 months remaining? The answer should be yes​
  

If your passport does not meet these criteria, you may be denied entry to any of the Schengen Area Countries.

Find more information on the Schengen Border Code on European Law.

The Jersey Passport Office recommends that you renew your passport well in advance of any travel to avoid disappointment. Consideration should be given to:

• your travel plans
• your passport validity dates
• the Schengen rules for passport acceptance
• current passport processing times

As a general guide it is therefore recommended that consideration should be given to renewing passports at or before 9 years and 6 months. Travellers should check with the airline or ferry company to ensure they are compliant with their travel document requirements.

Passports validity periods

Until 10 September 2018, some adult British passports were issued with a validity longer than 10 years. This happened if you renewed your passport before it expired, you were allowed to have the time left on your old passport added to your new passport. The maximum validity period possible was 10 years and 9 months.​

Extra validity is no longer added to British passports. The maximum validity is:

• 10 years, for a new adult British passport
• 5 years, for a new child British passport

This change was made to follow recommendations set out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and to help provide clarity about passport validity.

Schengen area

Countries within the Schengen area includes:

Renew your passport

You can renew a passport at any time. Do not wait until you need to travel.

Apply for a passport