ABTA Turns Passport and Visa Advice into a Practical Pre-Trip Checklist

When you book an overseas holiday, one of the most important things to check is whether your passport will be valid for your travel dates, and if not, to renew it in good time. The travel association ABTA sets out clear, practical guidance, and it is easiest to treat that advice as a checklist to work through before you travel.

Requirements vary by destination, so ABTA recommends confirming the details on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website for the specific country you are visiting.

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Checking your passport is valid

British passport holders can confirm their passport is valid by checking the FCDO advice for the destination, selecting the country and reading the entry requirements section. Rules differ from country to country, and the minimum remaining validity is often between three and six months, so read the advice carefully. Travellers who do not hold a British passport should check with the embassy of the country they are visiting.

Since the UK left the EU, additional rules apply for trips to the EU (except Ireland), as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and the European microstates. A British passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the date of entry and remain valid for at least three months after the planned departure day. Because passports issued before October 2018 sometimes carried extra months, both the issue and expiry dates are worth checking. Children's passports, valid for five years, automatically meet the 10-year rule.

Renewing or applying for a passport

His Majesty's Passport Office advises that new passports usually arrive within three weeks of documents being received, unless more information is needed, so always apply in good time. Renewals require a photo and your old passport, and you may need to check the counter-signatory criteria.

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Support is available through the Post Office's Check & Send service, and many high-street photo retailers can take an accepted passport photo. If you need a document urgently, a one-week Fast Track service exists. Once your new passport arrives, sign it before you travel, and consider adding emergency contacts inside.

Visas, ETIAS and the UK's ETA

For short trips to the EU, UK passport holders do not need a visa and can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period; longer stays require checking the destination's visa rules. The EU also plans to introduce the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), a visa-waiver similar to the United States' ESTA and the UK's own ETA, valid for three years. It is not yet accepting applications, and once live, travellers will apply through the official ETIAS website; you can review how to start an ETIAS application in advance.

Travelling the other way, the UK's Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) came into force from 25 February 2026. British and Irish passport holders, including dual nationals, are exempt as long as they travel on a valid British or Irish passport or a certificate of entitlement; otherwise additional identity checks apply. Working through these points before booking keeps the trip itself straightforward.