Passport rules for travel to Europe

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Find out if you need to renew your passport before you travel to Europe and which countries the rules apply to.

Passport validity

How much time you need on your passport depends on the country you’re visiting. Check the travel advice for the country you want to travel to – read the entry requirements section.

You may need to renew your British passport before you travel if there’s not enough time left on it. Check our current processing times.

If you’re travelling to Ireland, you can continue to use your passport if it’s valid for the length of your stay.

Countries this applies to

These rules apply for travel to and between most countries in Europe. These are:

• Andorra

• Austria

• Belgium

• Bulgaria

• Croatia

• Cyprus

• Czech Republic

• Denmark

• Estonia

• Finland

• France

• Germany

• Greece

• Hungary

• Iceland

• Italy

• Latvia

• Liechtenstein

• Lithuania

• Luxembourg

• Malta

• Monaco

• Netherlands

• Norway

• Poland

• Portugal

• Romania

• San Marino

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• Vatican City

Travel to other EU countries

These rules do not apply when travelling to Ireland.

Applying for a new passport

If your passport doesn’t meet these rules, you need to apply for a new passport before travelling to the countries affected.

Make sure you apply in plenty of time.