Passport renewal tips
The cheapest way to get a passport and how to avoid copycat sites
If you're planning a trip abroad this year, check your passport is still valid – and even if it is, do extra checks if it's more than 10 years old, or you're in the last six months before it expires. We've full info on what to check, the cheapest way to apply for a passport if you need a new one, and how to avoid shyster sites charging extra for 'checking' services.
Check your passport BEFORE booking a trip
Don’t assume everything is fine just because your passport is valid for the duration of your stay. Countries have a variety of rules about how long you need left, and how old the passport can be. Since Brexit, this includes most EU countries too.
If you fall foul of these, you could be refused entry – we've heard one story of a family's four-year-old girl being refused entry to Turkey because she had less than two months left on her passport.
If you're travelling to the EU...
Most trips from the UK are to the EU. And for that...
If you are travelling to the EU, your passport needs to be less than 10 years old on the day you enter, and valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave
The EU encompasses Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland (slightly different, see more), Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
IMPORTANT: If you renewed your burgundy passport early, it could be more than 10 years old. The extra months may have been added to the new passport’s validity. This means your passport could have plenty of time left on it but could still be more than 10 years old, and therefore excluded from some travel destinations.
(Since October 2018, any time left on your passport is no longer added to your new one, and new passports are only valid for ten years.)
Abigail fell foul of this in summer 2024, and emailed us her experience...
"I was meant to fly to Lisbon for my best friend's hen do. I knew I had seven months left on my passport which I thought was fine! Just as I’m about to get on the plane maybe 50m away, the crew looked at my passport and said that I was unable to fly due to an expired passport.
"I had NO IDEA about the 10 year expiry and wasn’t allowed to fly to Lisbon."
UK to Ireland is a little different...
Ireland has different arrangements. It's part of the Common Travel Area with the UK and as such a passport isn't required for British nationals travelling from the UK. However, immigration officers check the ID of passengers arriving by air and may ask for proof of nationality, so it's best to take your passport. If you are using a passport, it should be valid for the whole duration of your stay.
If you're travelling to a non-EU country...
We've listed the requirements for other non-EU common holiday destinations below...
Destination | Required passport validity |
|---|---|
Australia | - Valid for the whole duration of your stay. No additional period required. |
Barbados | - Valid for the whole duration of your stay. No additional period required. |
Canada | - Valid for the whole duration of your stay. No additional period required. |
Egypt | - Valid for at least six months after the day you enter |
Gibraltar | - Valid for the whole duration of your stay. No additional period required. |
Iceland | - Less than 10 years old on the day you enter. |
India | - Valid for at least six months after the date you enter. |
Ireland | - Passport not required for British nationals travelling from the UK. Yet immigration officers check the ID of passengers arriving by air and may ask for proof of nationality, so it's best to take your passport. |
Liechtenstein | - Less than 10 years old on the day you enter. |
Norway | - Less than 10 years old on the day you enter. |
Switzerland | - Less than 10 years old on the day you enter. |
Thailand | - Valid for at least six months from the day you enter. |
Turkey | - Valid for at least 150 days from the day you enter. |
United Arab Emirates | - Valid for at least six months from the day you enter. |
USA | - Valid for the whole duration of your stay. No additional period required. |
Rules for travellers on a full 'British Citizen' passport from the UK. Last checked on 9 May 2025.
Country not listed? For a full list of destinations' entry requirements, see Gov.uk's foreign travel advice.
Expecting visitors who aren't British or Irish citizens? They may need an ETA
Certain non-British or non-Irish travellers may now need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK. If you have friends visiting, it's worth asking them to check if they'll need one. They can apply through the UK ETA app (iOS or Android) or online at Gov.uk and will need to pay £16.
For more info, see the Gov.uk guidance on applying for an ETA.
If you need a new passport, it's cheapest to apply online
The only site you'll ever need to go to is the Gov.uk website. It has options for getting your first passport, renewing an old one or getting one for your child.
You can apply online, which is the cheapest option, or by paper at the Post Office. Last year, over seven million Brits saved by applying online. For more on this, read our MSE News story: Don't get your passport by post – 360,000 paid more than needed last year.
The table below has all the passport services you can choose from. For all types, you can pay £12 extra for a 54-page jumbo passport, useful for frequent travellers.
Do note that the times are the Passport Office's current targets, so they're not guaranteed to arrive within that time – it's best to apply as early as possible before the passport is needed.
Passport type | Time taken to issue | Online cost | Postal cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Adult | Up to three weeks | £94.50 | £107 |
Adult 'Fast-track' | One week after appointment | £178 | - |
Adult 'Premium' (1) | At the appointment | £222 | - |
Child | Up to three weeks | £61.50 | £74 |
Child 'Fast-track' | One week after appointment | £145 | - |
(1) There's no child equivalent one-day service
Got a burgundy passport? Newly-issued UK passports have a blue cover, but you DON'T need to get a new passport straightaway – you can keep using your burgundy passport until it's due for renewal. The blue passports will only be issued when you renew or apply for a new passport.
Passports can take up to three weeks to be processed, so apply early. The Passport Office warns that renewing can take three weeks for both online and postal applications, so don't leave it too late if you're planning a trip.
If you need a passport urgently, you'll need to book an appointment at a passport office and pay online. Alternatively, call HM Passport Office (HMPO) on 0300 222 0000 to book an appointment and pay.
Beware copycat sites that charge extra on top of official fees
Way back in 2014, more than 300 people who responded to our shyster sites poll were caught by websites that look like the official Government site for passports, but charge people £20-£100 on top of the official passport fee. Many are just expensive form-filling services, though some also offer a 'checking' service.
If you do need help, the Post Office's Check & Send service ensures you've included the correct documents, that your photos don't breach any of the restrictions and that you've filled in the forms correctly. It'll also send your application by special delivery. It costs £16 on top of the standard passport fee.
It's very difficult getting a refund, but it's not impossible
The sad thing is that these shyster sites are legal. They're offering a service, some similar to the Post Office's Check & Send, it's just that they're charging up to 10 times more for it.
Saying that, if you or someone you know has been caught, it's well worth writing to the site (speed is of the essence so email is best), saying that they want to cancel their contract and get a refund. Beware calling their expensive phone lines though – they typically charge £1.50 per minute. To help, download our template letter. Please let us know how you get on.
You can also report the incident to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) or Trading Standards by calling the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or filling in its online form (the form is only available at weekends).
MoneySaver ShinyDoc managed to get a refund: "I renewed two passports using this service [a shyster site]! But I noticed almost immediately and asked for a full refund, which I received about 24 hours later. The full amount was credited back to the account I supplied."
For more information about how to go about getting a refund if you've been misled by passport sites, ESTA sites, GHIC/EHIC sites and more, see our Copycat websites guide.
Have you been caught by a shyster site? Share your experience, especially if you got your money back, by joining the MSE Forum discussion.
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