Passport warning – exact date you need to order a new one for school summer hols

TOURISTS who need to renew their passport must act by May 9 if they want it in time for the start of the school summer holidays.

That’s the deadline for the 4.5million Brits who will see their travel documents expire before the 18th July 2022, the week that many schools in England and Wales start to break up for summer.

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A report by Co-op Insurance has found that almost 7 per cent of the UK’s total population are due a passport renewal, following years of travel restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Travellers must carry a valid passport when travelling overseas, issued within the previous ten years and valid for at least three months after the date they intend to return home.

Passport renewals can be processed digitally using the Government’s online service or via the Post Office’s check and send service. The cost comes in between £75 to £85.

Officials claim a current ten-week lead time in place for passport renewals.

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Graham Ward-Lush, head of travel at Co-op Insurance, said: “Many of us won’t have had a proper summer holiday since 2019 and we know that millions of Brits all over the country are eagerly anticipating this year’s getaway, particularly as most travel restrictions have now been lifted.

“But with many passports having been lying in a drawer for the past two years, we’re urging travellers to check the expiration date on their own passports and also any family members’ today.

“Many families in England and Wales will be looking to get away at the end of July, which means May 9th is a good deadline to set yourself in order to ensure that new documents arrive back in time.”

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He continued: “There can’t be a more heart-breaking scenario than unearthing a passport the night before travel, only to realise that it is out of date.

“We want to help ensure that people all over the UK manage to have their dream holiday this summer and aren’t stranded at home due to invalid travel documentation!”

Co-op Insurance claim that one in eight travel policies purchased from them so far in 2022 have been for Spain.

The government website states customers should allow up to 10 weeks to receive their passport after submitting their application.

It also says the typical processing times for standard online applications was between five and six weeks for the week ending March 20, 2022.

However, hundreds of furious people have taken to Twitter to say they have been waiting longer than that and have been forced to cancel their holiday because their passport didn’t arrive in time, with some being left thousands of pounds out of pocket.

One person wrote: “My daughter has missed her holiday despite the application going in on January 31. Also out of pocket.”