A woman from Suffolk has spoken of her shock after being barred from a flight to Spain for her 50th birthday because of a post-Brexit passport rule she knew nothing about. Ali Burridge had been due to travel to Benidorm with 15 friends over the May bank holiday weekend, having paid around £900 for flights and accommodation.
However, when she arrived at London Stansted Airport, check-in staff told her she could not board because her passport had been issued more than 10 years before the date of travel. Under current regulations, British passports must have been issued within the last 10 years on the day of entry to EU countries. Before Brexit, travellers could carry over up to nine months from a previous passport when renewing, meaning some documents showed expiry dates more than a decade after issue.
Ali, who had renewed her passport under the old system, said she had no idea the extra months would invalidate it for EU travel. She told the Sun: 'It was awful when I was told the news, to be honest, I'm still in shock. I had been looking forward to this since my 40th birthday — we had spent the previous year organising it all.'
Her sister Tracey, who had travelled on an earlier flight, said the group were left in tears when they learned Ali would not be joining them. Ali attempted a last-ditch drive to Peterborough to secure an urgent passport appointment, but was unable to get one in time.
She spent her 50th birthday at home while her friends enjoyed the sunshine abroad, calling her on FaceTime to include her. Ali is now urging others to check their passports, saying: 'I still know and see a lot of people travelling on the old passport, so I want to raise awareness so this doesn't happen to others. You could easily be caught out like me if you don't travel often.'
