Brits travelling to Europe with less than 3 months left on passport urged to 'apply now' before rule change
With April fast approaching, I think there is one thing on everyone's mind.
Yes, we may be feasting into a lot of chocolate next Sunday, but there is something else just a bit further around the corner.
I'm talking about summer, of course. The days of sipping cocktails on the beach all day are not far away, and I for one, cannot wait.
But with the United Kingdom not in the European Union anymore (cheers Brexit), there are some rules Brits should be aware of.
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Holidaymakers travelling to Europe this summer with less than three months on their passports are being urged to 'apply now'.
Because of new post-Brexit rules, British passports are subject to more regulation than they were before.
Those who have a British passport will need at least three months running on them to be permitted travel within Europe.
Some of the destinations that have a three-month rule are; France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
Meanwhile, counties further afield will require your passport to be eligible for another six months before allowing you entry into the country.
It comes as the price of a passport increases once again next month - meaning renewing a travel document has never been so expensive.
Last summer we saw His Majesty's Passport introducing a nine percent, with the government warning another hike will come this summer.
So, you really want to be renewing your passport now if you can, as waiting any longer will result in the wallet taking a harder hit.
From 11 April, the price of renewing a passport will rise by roughly 7 percent.
In real terms, a new adult passport will cost £88.50 and a child's will be £57.50 from next month.
You might want to avoid doing a new passport application through the postal method too, as that will set you back even more.
Brace yourselves... a postal application for an adult will cost £100 and a child's will be £69.
In a statement, the government said: "The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation. The government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
"The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders. The increase will also help enable the government to continue improving its services.
"The new fees include those newly applying or renewing their passport."
Callum Jones