Experts have revealed the reasons your passports could be rejected after British TV star gets banned from travelling moments before flight
Nothing could ruin a holiday quite like getting stopped from boarding the plane at all and now a travel experts have revealed the common mistakes that could get you on the no-fly list.
Experts at Travelbag have urged Brits to check their passport is in the right condition before setting off to fly as what seem like minor problems could mean you are prevented from travelling. The expert’s advice comes after Geordie Shore star and TV presenter Vicky Pattinson was barred from getting on her flight by Easy Jet due to the state of her passport. The star’s had been on her way to view a potential wedding venue when she was told by staff that her passport, which had been chewed by her dog Milo, was no longer valid due to the damage.
She took to social media to air her frustrations, recounting the situation to her millions of follower. She said: “I’ve been travelling with my passport all year and no one’s said anything, but it’s definitely well travelled to be fair. Company policy is company policy and I get it, I’m just beyond gutted you know??”
If you don’t want to meet the same fate, there are a few things you must check well before you set off on your trip, Travelbag advise, setting out a comprehensive list of features that could void your passport. They are:
- Discolouration or damage to any part of the passport, including rips, tears bites, water marks and ink stains
- Tearing to the perforated passport numbers
- Unreadable security details
- Missing or loose pages
- Personal details or observation page is unreadable
- Laminate is peeling off on the personal details page
- Cracking or tearing of the personal details page
- The chip antenna is visible through the endpaper on the back cover of a burgundy passport or the personal details page of a blue passport
A spokesperson from Travelbag said “If your passport has been damaged by any of the above issues you need to replace your passport immediately before travelling. You may think the damage is minor, but due to the way passports are made securely for security and safety there may be more damage than you think which can lead to being refused travel. For peace of mind, it’s recommended to keep your passport well hidden and out of sight so it can stay as pristine as possible so you don’t run into any of these issues when travelling.”
As well as damage, travellers should also look out for other factors that may render their passport useless. For instance, each country has their own rules and regulations regarding expiry dates, with some requiring a full 6 months remaining on the date in order to accept. Therefore, you should check your expiry date and the rules of the country you are travelling to a while before you go to make sure yours will be valid, and that you have time to update it if it won’t be.
The issue date of your passport is another important factor. Since the UK left the EU, most countries will no longer accept passports that have been issued more than 10 years ago, something known as the ’10-year rule’. If you got yours earlier than this, you’ll probably need to get a new one.
Ensuring you have enough pages in your passport is also important. If you are a frequent flyer or avid traveller, the likelihood is that your passport pages are full of stamps from around the world. However, before travelling you must always make sure there is room for more stamps, including a few empty pages as some countries stamp more times that others, or you could be barred from being let into a country that can issue you with a stamp.
Finally, if you’re a parent, ensure to check your children’s passports just as often – if not more so. Those under the age of 16 will require a new passport every five years, compared to the usual ten years for adults. So even if you know yours is all good to go, make sure your kid’s is too to avoid any nasty surprises or last minute disappointment.
A spokesperson from easyJet said about Vicky Pattinson’s travel disaster: “We are sorry for Ms Pattison’s experience and the inconvenience caused. At easyJet, we work closely with the authorities and comply with their guidance to ensure the safety and security of all passengers and staff.
“As such, we cannot allow any passenger to travel on their planned flight with documentation damaged to such a degree that its authenticity is brought into question. It is the passenger’s responsibility to have suitable documentation for travel.”
