ChatterBank1 min ago
Passport Dilemma
17 Answers
I’m due to fly on holiday in November. So I checked my passport and it said that on the day I’m due to fly I will have 5 months left on it. So I’m just about to get the form to renew it when my FIL rang me and says he’s checked and certain countries you only need your passport to be valid for your stay, even if it expires the day after you get home. The Canary Islands being one of these places. So I’ve gone on to the foreign office website to check and it does indeed say this. But Mr Smow is having none of it lol and says knowing my luck I will get a Spanish immigration official decide to not let me in as it doesn’t have 6 months left, and he’s going on and on for me to pay £75 for a brand new one for peace of mind. Your thoughts??
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I hope that my understanding is correct but The Canary Islands are within Spanish Territory and as such part of the EU.
As Passports for British citizens are valid for travel to any EU country up to and including the passport expiry date, I don't think there should be a problem.
Please check that this is correct.
As Passports for British citizens are valid for travel to any EU country up to and including the passport expiry date, I don't think there should be a problem.
Please check that this is correct.
Every website will tell you the same, you don't any extra time
Passport validity. Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay; you don't need any additional period of validity on your passport beyond this. This applies to the whole of Spain, including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera).
Entry requirements - Spain travel advice - GOV.UK
https:/
So either you believe this or pander to your husband and renew :-)
Passport validity. Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay; you don't need any additional period of validity on your passport beyond this. This applies to the whole of Spain, including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera).
Entry requirements - Spain travel advice - GOV.UK
https:/
So either you believe this or pander to your husband and renew :-)
The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago off the African coast which form one of the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain–the country's principal first-level administrative division. They are outside the EU VAT Area.[6]
**The Canary Islands are the most populated and economically strongest territory of all the outermost regions in the European Union**
The outermost regions office for support and information is located in these islands, in the city of Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria.
Wiki.
**The Canary Islands are the most populated and economically strongest territory of all the outermost regions in the European Union**
The outermost regions office for support and information is located in these islands, in the city of Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria.
Wiki.
The Canary Islands are within the EU. (They have separate tax status when it comes to what you can bring back from there without getting clobbered for customs duty but that's not relevant here).
EU law requires all member countries to give free passage to all EU citizens without restrictions. As long as you can prove that you're an EU citizen (by showing your British passport) you MUST be admitted to any EU territory.
While (obviously) you need to have a passport that will be valid on your return date to avoid any problems getting back home, the Spanish authorities couldn't refuse to admit you even if you arrived with just one minute of validity on your passport. That's because, as an EU citizen, you're not obliged to leave the Canary Islands at all. You could live and work there if you chose to do so.
As you've mentioned in your post, a few countries do impose a '6 month passport validity' rule upon visitors but they're very much in a minority. (Even the USA, which has very tight rules about entry and has a '6 month rule' for visitors from most countries, makes an exception for British passport holders). EU member states CAN'T make any such rules in respect of EU citizens (because, as I've stated above, EU citizens are entitled to stay there for ever if they so choose).
The misunderstanding about '6 month rules' comes about because High Street travel agencies couldn't be bothered to train their staff properly and told all their customers that the rule applied to all countries. There are now far fewer High Street travel agencies but, unfortunately, the MYTHS still exist!
YOUR PASSPORT IS VALID FOR ENTRY TO THE CANARY ISLANDS!!!
EU law requires all member countries to give free passage to all EU citizens without restrictions. As long as you can prove that you're an EU citizen (by showing your British passport) you MUST be admitted to any EU territory.
While (obviously) you need to have a passport that will be valid on your return date to avoid any problems getting back home, the Spanish authorities couldn't refuse to admit you even if you arrived with just one minute of validity on your passport. That's because, as an EU citizen, you're not obliged to leave the Canary Islands at all. You could live and work there if you chose to do so.
As you've mentioned in your post, a few countries do impose a '6 month passport validity' rule upon visitors but they're very much in a minority. (Even the USA, which has very tight rules about entry and has a '6 month rule' for visitors from most countries, makes an exception for British passport holders). EU member states CAN'T make any such rules in respect of EU citizens (because, as I've stated above, EU citizens are entitled to stay there for ever if they so choose).
The misunderstanding about '6 month rules' comes about because High Street travel agencies couldn't be bothered to train their staff properly and told all their customers that the rule applied to all countries. There are now far fewer High Street travel agencies but, unfortunately, the MYTHS still exist!
YOUR PASSPORT IS VALID FOR ENTRY TO THE CANARY ISLANDS!!!
On the other hand :-) You can renew your passport up to 9 months before it expires and the remaining time will be added to the new passport so if you are going to renew once it runs out you could just as well do it in September and keep Mr Smow happy as well :-)
https:/
https:/
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