{
  "id": 14922548,
  "title": "British travellers to Spain warned as more than 135,000 passports expire this month",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/british-travellers-to-spain-warned-as-more-than-135-000-passports",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T09:35:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euro Weekly News",
    "slug": "euro-weekly-news",
    "url": "https://euroweeklynews.com/2026/10/16/british-travellers-to-spain-warned-as-more-than-135000-passports-expire-this-month/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "British vacationers planning a trip to Spain this October might encounter difficulties at the airport if their passports haven't been verified for expiry. Data from Wizz Air reveals that over 135,000 British adult passports are scheduled to expire this month, with additional 125,405 passports expiring in November and 106,768 in December, totaling more than 367,000 in just three months. This information comes from a Freedom of Information request to the UK's HM Passport Office, which Wizz Air obtained.\n\nHowever, the issue extends beyond passports that have already expired. Spain imposes two additional validity requirements on British passports, which airlines verify at check-in. One requirement is the three-month rule, aligned with the Schengen area's principle of requiring passports valid for at least three months beyond the intended departure date. For instance, a family flying out on Monday, October 26, and returning on Sunday, November 1, must have passports valid until at least Monday, February 1, 2027. Passports expiring in January would be rejected despite still being technically \"in date.\"\n\nAnother rule pertains to the date a passport was issued. While British passports typically have a 10-year validity, renewals before October 1, 2018, may result in a remaining period of up to nine months on the old passport once renewed. Consequently, a passport issued in October 2016 might display an expiration date well into 2027, yet it could still be rejected if issued more than 10 years before the traveler's arrival in Spain. This discrepancy may lead to holidaymakers discovering the passport's unsuitability at the airport rather than prior to their departure.",
  "summary": "British holidaymakers planning a trip to Spain this October could face problems at the airport if they have not checked […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}