Passport requirements

[piousx]

what are the passport requirements for Italy from UK

[aniani]

I work for a travel company - we would require you to hold a full 10 year passport valid for 6 months after your return date

[Buenchico]

Why on earth would any sensible travel company require 6 months validity for someone visiting Italy? EU law requires all member states to admit any EU citizen, with valid proof of that citizenship (i.e. a passport or national identity card) throughout the period of validity of their ID.

i.e. you can turn up at the border of any EU country on the very last day of your passport's validity and you must still be admitted. (Obviously, it would be more sensible to ensure that your passport was valid until your departure date, but there's absolutely no reason why you should have 6 months on your passport).

Very few countries have a '6 month rule'. (Even the USA, which has some of the strictest entry rules anywhere in the world, only requires that UK passports should be valid until the end of the traveller's stay). However, some travel companies are too lazy to train their staff properly and instruct them to tell customers that they must always have 6 months validity on their passport when travelling outside of the UK.

Chris

[auntiebertie]

Remind me not to go to Aniani's travel agency where they obviously give out incorrect information........


Passport needs to valid for at least three months beyond length of stay required by all nationals except for EU nationals holding a valid national ID card

It just has to be VALID and as the very learned Buenchico states, it can expire the day after you arrive in Italy. However, remember that you have to have a valid passport for your re-entry into the UK.

[dzug]

And bear in mind that a UK passport IS a valid national ID card so the 3 months does not apply.