Planning a trip? Before you decide where to visit and start booking flights, make sure to check if your UK passport needs to be renewed.
As Brits prepare to jet off on their summer holidays or plan for an autumn getaway, many are leaving it to the last minute to renew their passports, which could jeopardise their travel plans.
More than a million British passports are set to expire between 1 July and 31 December, according to new Freedom of Information data obtained from the Passport Office by Co-op Insurance.
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Many countries such as the US require a passport to be valid for at least six months beyond the intended departure date in order to be eligible to travel there. For travel to the EU Schengen Area, passports must be valid for at least three months after the day of departure.
Travel disruption due to expired passports appears to be a significant issue. One in 10 (10%) adults in the UK has missed a holiday due to failing to renew their passport, including almost a quarter (23%) of those under 25, according to research commissioned by Co-op Insurance shows.
If a passport doesn’t meet the entry requirements of the destination country, holidaymakers will ultimately be prevented from travelling. In this instance, travel insurance providers will be unable to cover missed flights or cancelled holidays, leaving a significant financial hole.
Ellis German, head of travel at Co-op Insurance, said: “Summer holidays are just around the corner but amidst the excitement, it’s important that you take the time to review your travel documentation and cover.
“Unfortunately, our research indicates that a significant number of Brits have had their holidays disrupted or cancelled due to failing to renew their passport before they travel.
“Concerningly, it seems many are also leaving it late to renew their passports this year, putting themselves at risk of being denied boarding.”
Passport application fees have risen by 7% this year. The changes came into effect on 10 April 2025.
It means British passports are now one of the most expensive in Europe, almost on par with Italy (€116/£100) and Denmark (Dkr893/£103).
Research by PayingTooMuch shows that UK travellers spent around £1.1 million replacing passports stolen or lost overseas in the last six months of 2024.
Almost a quarter of a million passports were reported as either lost or stolen, last year, according to separate Freedom of Information data obtained by Co-Op Insurance.
The locations where passports were most frequently reported as being lost were Hong Kong and Spain, according to the Passport Office.
Losing a passport can be a frustrating experience, especially given that replacing one costs £94.50, unless the £222 ‘fast-track replacement’ is opted for, and there’s no guarantee as to how long the replacement will take to arrive, which could impact travel plans.
An out-of-date passport or not having enough time left on your passport could leave you grounded. So, it’s worth checking whether you’re covered for the duration of your trip.
We look at who needs to renew their passport, how much it costs and how long the process takes so that you’re fully prepared for your next adventure.
What are the UK passport renewal rules for EU travel?
Some British holidaymakers have recently been caught out by new rules that made their passports invalid for EU travel.
Before Brexit, UK nationals travelling to the EU could carry up to nine months from an old passport onto a new one. It meant a passport could be used for up to 10 years and nine months.
Since January 2021, the rules have changed. The EU now sees UK nationals as “third country” citizens. As a result, EU countries no longer accept passports issued 10 years before the date of travel, i.e., the nine-month window has been eliminated.
Under the new rules, if you wish to travel to any country in the EU, your UK passport must:
Not have been issued more than 10 years before the date of travel.
Be valid for at least three months after your planned return date to the UK.
This means that if you’re entering France on 3 May 2025 and returning to the UK on 5 May 2025, your passport must have been issued after 3 May 2015 and be valid until 5 August 2025.
These rules apply in all 27 countries in the EU and Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein, which are part of the European Economic Area (EEA). The only exception to this rule is Ireland, as it is part of the Common Travel Area.
Another change to travel rules since Brexit is that you can now only stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within a six-month period (the Schengen area encompasses 29 European countries). Before Brexit, you could stay for as long as you wished.
On 10 April 2025, the cost of renewing a UK passport went up by 7%.
This means that it now costs £94.50 to renew an adults (16+) UK passport if you apply online. It’s £61.50 for a child.
This does not include additional expenses you may face, such as the cost of a passport photo or postage for documents.
This rise means that UK passport renewal is now nearly seven times more expensive than renewing a UK driving licence, which costs £14 and is also online.
Here is a breakdown of the passport renewal costs.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
UK passport type
Online form
Postal
Adult (16 and over) standard 34-page passport
£94.50
£107
Adult (16 and over) 54-page frequent traveller passport
If you’re filling out an online application, you will need to upload a digital photo. For paper applications, you need two recent (identical) printed photos of yourself. You can pay by either debit or credit card, or by a cheque to HM Passport Office.
You will typically receive your passport within three weeks, but it can take longer during busy periods if you are applying from another country or if you need to be interviewed.
If you need a passport urgently, you can pay and book an appointment at a passport office. There are two types of urgent services available:
1 day premium service: £222 for adults, £189 for children
1 week fast track service: £178 for an adult, and £145 for a child.
Note: You can’t apply for an urgent service if it’s your first adult passport or if you live outside the UK. If the latter is the case, then you can apply for an emergency travel document instead.
For more information, check the HM Passport Office website, or call the helpline at 0300 222 0000 between 8am-8pm GMT Monday to Friday.
How to pay for your UK passport
Depending on how you apply, you can either pay by using a debit or credit card, by cash, or by cheque or postal order. We have the details below:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Application type
Debit or credit card accepted
Cheque or postal order
Cash
Using the Post Office Passport Check and Send service
Yes
Postal order payable to ‘Post Office Ltd’
Cheques not accepted
Yes
By post
Yes - complete the form in the application pack
Cheque or postal order payable to ‘HM Passport Office’
No
Online
Yes
No
No
Source: GOV.UK
What to do if you lose your passport abroad
Hannah Mayfield, money expert at PayingTooMuch, explains what to do in the event that you displace your passport in a foreign country.
“If you lose your passport abroad, the first thing you should do is report it missing on the UK government website,” she said. “You’ll then need to apply for an emergency travel document, which has a £100 application fee.
“However, travel insurance can help make sure you're not out of pocket if anything unexpected happens on your holiday. It's important to note that travel insurance typically covers specific scenarios, so it's essential to understand the terms of your policy.
“A comprehensive travel insurance policy and potentially the additional costs of needing to stay for longer or changing your return dates, ensuring that an unexpected mishap doesn’t turn into a costly ordeal.”
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Oojal has a background in consumer journalism and is interested in helping people make the most of their money.Oojal has an MA in international journalism from Cardiff University, and before joining MoneyWeek, she worked for Look After My Bills, a personal finance website, where she covered guides on household bills and money-saving deals.Her bylines can be found on Newsquest, Voice Wales, DIVA and Sony Music, and she has explored subjects ranging from politics and LGBTQIA+ issues to food and entertainment.Outside of work, Oojal enjoys travelling, going to the movies and learning Spanish with a little green owl.
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