Brits warned little-known passport rule could mean you’re sent home from airport

Nobody wants their holiday to be ruined by being denied boarding for a flight – but there are plenty of reasons why this might happen. Being drunk ahead of the flight is a major no-no, as is turning up when you're visibly unwell but passport issues also feature in many missed journeys.

Brexit and the change in rules when entering the EU has seen a number of holidaymakers rejected by airlines at the airport. Some of these have been because there is not enough time left on their documents and not meeting the validity requirements for the documents. One woman was even refused entry to a cruise for this very reason – costing her a whopping £3,198 and making her miss her dream holiday.

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However, it seems there's an even lesser-known passport rule that could land you in hot water. If you've been travelling a lot over the last 10 years your passport could be close to being invalid due to having too many stamps – which is a real risk now all EU countries give a stamp to British passports on entry and exit.

With this in mind, experts atTravel Republic have warned that you won't want to run out of clean pages, as you might not be allowed to fly because border control won't be able to give you the necessary stamps.

Antonio Fellino, Managing Director and Travel expert at Travel Republic warned: "Many UK travellers are still unaware of the various passport validity rules that could cut their trips short, with this viral TikTik video bringing awareness to a little-known passport rule. Passport stamps act as proof that a traveller has not overstayed their visa requirement.

"If your passport has too many stamps, it can lead to a variety of implications including potential border control issues and practical concerns, depending on the country you are visiting. This means visitors must pay careful attention to how many passport pages they have left, as some countries will refuse entry if you don’t have enough space in your passport.

"Since UK passport holders now need to get their passport stamped every time they enter and leave the EU, running out of pages is now a real possibility for those who are travelling on a regular basis. When planning any trip, make sure you check the specific entry requirements for the country you are visiting, as some countries require several consecutive empty pages for entry and exit stamps or visas.

"If you don’t have enough pages left, it’s possible to ask an official passport office to add extra pages to your passport, however, this isn’t offered by every country. If this is the case, it's likely you will need to apply for a replacement, even if you still have a couple of years left on your passport.

"We’d strongly recommend applying for the 'jumbo passport' which includes 54 pages, in comparison to the standard British passport which is only 34 pages – allowing people who travel more to use their passport for the full ten years. Make sure you also check your passport's issue date and expiry date as well as the number of blank pages in your passport before you book a trip so that you aren’t caught out."

The "jumbo passport" mentioned by Antonio is referred to as a a: "frequent traveller passport" and it will cost you a bit more than a regular one. The normal passport is currently priced at £82.50 if you apply online or £93 through a paper application.

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Meanwhile the frequent traveller passport costs £93.50 if you pay online or £104 through the paper application. Both adults and children can get jumbo passports so if you're travelling a lot with your family it might be worth investing in one for little ones too – though because they only last five years its worth weighing up if you're travelling enough to fill theirs.

While the extra cost might seem annoying the £11 difference is far cheaper than an all-new passport if you have too many stamps. It can also give you some extra wiggle room if you fly to different countries a lot over the next 10 years and means you're less likely to be caught without a gap for a stamp.

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