With six weeks to go until the start of the summer peak international travel period, 13 June has been named “Check Your Passport Day” by the Post Office. Travellers have double the government-recommended time to renew their passport if it is soon to expire – or if it will no longer meet post-Brexit EU rules – if they review their and their children’s passports today.

Research by the Post Office revealed that 36 per cent of UK passport holders surveyed were unaware of their passport’s expiry date and 42 per cent had booked a holiday before checking the expiry date of their passport.

More than a quarter of respondents had forgotten to renew their passports at least once, leading to significant financial penalties, such as fees for faster processing or missing trips. Here’s everything you need to know about passport rules, processing times and fees.

How to check an adult passport is valid

Some countries allow you to travel on a UK passport up until its expiry date; others require you to have extra validity. Check the entry requirements on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advice page for the country you are travelling to. For travel to the EU and Schengen Area, a UK passport must have been issued within the 10 years before you enter and must be valid for at least three months after the date you plan to leave. These two rules are independent of one another.

Before 1 October, 2018, extra months were added to the expiry date if the passport holder renewed before their last passport expired. This means that some adult passports expire more than 10 years after the issue date.

Travel to Ireland

Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area (which includes the UK, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). UK citizens don’t technically need a passport to travel to Ireland, so long they have another valid form of identification. But some airlines stipulate that you must have a valid passport when boarding a flight to Ireland.

The rules for children’s passports

Under-16s are issued a child passport, which is valid for five years. The same rules apply for travel to the EU or Schengen Area. All children’s passports will be less than 10 years old, but make sure that your child’s passport will have at least three months left on the date you plan to leave.

When you apply for your child’s first passport, you will need to ask someone to confirm your child’s identity. The person you choose will receive an email from HM Passport Office explaining what to do. In your application, someone with parental responsibility for the child must sign the form. If the child is aged 12-15, they must sign the form too. See the full details on gov.uk.

Parents who have a different surname to their child should also be aware that, when travelling overseas, they could be asked for proof of their relationship with their child. The required documentation could include one or more of the following: the child’s birth certificate, a change of name deed, a marriage certificate. If the parent is not travelling with the child’s other parent, they may also be asked to show written permission from the other parent to take the child abroad.

How long it takes for a standard passport application

HM Passport Office says that you will usually get a passport within three weeks. Some travellers report receiving their passports faster than this. Processing times can be longer when there is high demand. Crowd-sourced data platform Passport Waiting Time is a useful tool for gauging how long you can expect to wait. There is a Check & Send service available through Post Office postmasters to ensure passport applications are complete and correct before being sent off. 

The cost for a new passport

A standard 34-page adult passport is £88.50 when you apply online, or £100 when applying using a paper form at a Post Office branch. A standard 34-page child passport (for under-16s) is £57.60 when you apply online or £69 with a paper form.

Fast-track passports

Apply for the one–day premium option to get a passport at an in-person appointment. This is £207.50 for a standard passport and the service can only be used to renew an adult passport. The earliest you can get an appointment is two days after you apply.

The one-week fast track service is for: renewing a passport; changing details on a passport; replacing a lost, stolen or damaged passport; or getting a child passport. The earliest you can get an appointment is one week after you apply, and the passport will be delivered by courier one week after your appointment. It is £166.50 for an adult passport and £135.50 for a child passport.