Passport Issues
Renewing a passport in good time is always an important factor to consider when planning travel to any country in the world and also, of course, in the event of any emergency travel that may arise at any time. This apart, if there is a HARD BREXIT from the EU on the 29th March 2019 or exit under any conditions at a future date, this means the UK will no longer remain part of the EU and passport holders will no longer enjoy automatic entry and roaming within the following countries currently forming the Schengen Zone:-
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, German, Green, Hungary, Iceland, Italy Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
With a hard brexit on 30th March 2019 still possible we urge members to check the validity of their passports since UK passport holders will be required to present valid passports to gain entry to the above Schengen Zone countries and comply with any country specific regulations. As such the following criteria will include:-
Passport must have been issued within the last 10 years on the date of arrival in a Schengen Zone country
***6 months’ validity is a benchmark maintained through most of the world so it is recommended you have at least 6 months’ validity remaining on the date of entry into the last country you are visiting within the Schengen Zone.
If your passport does not meet the criteria you may be denied entry to any of the Schengen Zone countries and you should take steps to renew your passport well before travel to any of these countries.
Notes: Currently these rules do not apply when travelling to Ireland but you do, of course, need a valid passport.
EU countries not in Schengen Zone are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia and Romania and if travelling to these countries you need to check their relevant entry requirements before you travel.
The right to travel to the UK, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey are not affected if you are a UK passport holder. But whenever the UK leaves the EU, you will need a valid passport to enter Malta.
*** Since September 2018 validity carried over from a previous passport has not been added to a new passport and adult UK passports are now valid for 10 years only. However, from 2001 to September 2018 some adult UK passports were issued with a validity longer than 10 years to cover early renewal with a maximum validity period granted of 10 years and 9 months. That period of extra time granted should no longer used in computing any balance on your passport before applying for renewal. *** Forms for passport renewal need to be downloaded from www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
IMPORTANT REMINDER – Your eResidence card is NOT A TRAVEL DOCUMENT. It is a vital residence document that can be used to verify identity in Malta. Anyone holding Maltese citizenship has a Maltese Identity Card and is able to travel on this within the Schengen Zone but even in that case, advice is always to carry your passport as any EU country can impose documentation regulation if security reasons require.
General Information on Design and colour change of British passports issued from 30 March 2019
Passports printed between 30 March 2019 up until introduction of new design will be burgundy but will not include the words ‘European Union’ on the front cover. This includes passports issued by the Crown Dependencies and Gibraltar. Blue passports will start being issued from late 2019. If you renew your passport between late 2019 and early 2020 there will be automatic issue of either a blue or burgundy UK passport. Further info available on www.gov.uk/government/news/blue-uk-passport-to-return-after-eu-exit
Information and Support Notes for BRA Council News January 2019 prepared by Mavis Barrett – Information and Support Co-ordinator
