A mother was prevented from boarding an easyJet flight with her family and left £700 out of pocket after falling foul of a post-Brexit passport rule. Bolaji Omisade, 35, a social worker and content creator from Rainham in Essex, was at London Gatwick Airport with her husband and three sons for a holiday to Greece when staff told her she could not fly.
Although her passport had not expired, it had been issued more than 10 years previously, which means it no longer meets EU entry requirements. Under post-Brexit travel rules, UK passports must have been issued less than 10 years before the date of entry when travelling to most European countries. Bolaji said she had checked that her passport was valid before setting off but was unaware of the rule concerning its issue date.
Speaking about the moment she was turned away, Bolaji said she had to hold back her emotions because her children were watching. She described it as one of the hardest parts, as her sons were so disappointed. With no refund available and departure time approaching, the family decided Bolaji would return home with their youngest son, while her husband and two older boys boarded the flight to Greece.
In an attempt to salvage the holiday, Bolaji booked an emergency appointment for a new passport using the one-day premium service through His Majesty's Passport Office. With no suitable appointments in London due to the bank holiday weekend, she secured a slot in Newport, Wales, and travelled there the evening before. After waiting several hours, she was issued a new passport and promptly booked replacement flights. She and her youngest son rejoined the rest of the family in Greece with only two days of the six-day holiday remaining. The extra costs, including the emergency passport fee, hotel accommodation, travel and replacement flights, amounted to £700.
Since the incident, Bolaji has shared her experience on social media, warning other travellers and calling on airlines and booking platforms to make the rule clearer. She also witnessed another traveller being turned away for the same reason at the airport. In response, easyJet has a dedicated page on its website alerting passengers to passport rules, advising UK passport holders to check both the expiry and issue date before travelling to the EU and other European countries.
