i d cards

[prendi]

we have booked our holiday and when we asked Thomsons if our new identity cards would be accepted as a passport,as our passports expired in Dec,they said that they had not been informed from their head office about the new id cards!!Surely they should know about such things? Any info plz .

[bednobs]

it will also depend on where you are going!

[Hawkwalk]

I believe you need to have a valid passport to be part of the trial for ID cards and that you will still need to have a passport to travel abroad.

[Buenchico]

EU law requires all member states to admit anyone who can prove their EU citizenship by producing either a passport or a National ID card from any member state.

So anyone in possession of a valid UK ID card will be able to use it for travel within the EU (or to those countries which are outside the EU but inside the EEA. i.e. Switzerland, Norway and Iceland).

Eventually it might be possible to obtain a National ID card without possessing a passport. However the current pilot scheme (which is solely for residents or workers in north-west England or for 16-24 year olds living in London)) is only open to those who already hold a valid UK passport (or, apparently, a UK passport which has expired but which was still valid on 1st January last year). See here:
http://idsmart.direct.gov.uk/index.html

Chris

[VHG]

Personally I wouldn't try to fly anywhere without my passport (particularly in these days of high security).

How awful to turn up at an airport to go on holiday and they wont let you on the plane.

Or even when it is time to come home they wont let you out the country.

[prendi]

Thanx for the replies .I have now had it confirmed that my i d card will be valid instead of a passport.We are only going to Ibiza,I will still be wary tho until we get thru passport control !!