Dan Sharples, 41, his wife, and their two sons were left stranded at the departure gate at Liverpool John Lennon Airport on June 23 after being refused boarding for their flight to Portugal. The family had booked a week-long summer holiday through Hays Travel, but nine-year-old Spencer's passport, though unexpired, was within three months of its expiry date—a common oversight under post-Brexit EU regulations.
How the Problem Unfolded
Dan, from Widnes, explained that the family submitted their passports to Hays Travel at the start of the year when booking the trip. The travel agent processed the documents and issued boarding passes three weeks before departure. At bag drop, passports were examined without issue. However, at the gate, staff refused boarding for Spencer, citing the passport's insufficient validity beyond the return date.
"We booked with Hays Travel and they took all our passports. It was all entered and nothing was ever flagged up," Dan said. "At bag drop they examined our passports and never said anything. But when we went to board the plane, they refused us boarding. We were right at the gate and had to wait until everyone else had boarded while we were taken back out."
Post-Brexit Passport Rules
Since the UK left the EU in 2020, UK passport holders are classified as "third-country nationals." For travel to EU countries, passports must be valid for at least three months beyond the intended return date. This rule is often overlooked, as many travellers assume a passport is valid until its expiry date.
Dan noted that while he, his wife, and their three-year-old son were allowed to travel, Spencer's passport—though still in date—fell foul of the regulation. "If they had highlighted the issue at the time, we could have sorted it out. But because it's a child's passport, the quickest you can get a replacement was five days. We lost our holiday basically," he said.
Hays Travel's Response
A spokesperson for Hays Travel said: "While we empathise with Mr Sharples, our agents explain to customers at the time of booking that they are responsible for ensuring their travel documents are valid for the destination they are visiting. For this booking, Mr Sharples was advised to check the most up-to-date guidance via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website to avoid any issues."
However, Dan maintained that he never received this guidance. He contacted the Widnes branch of Hays Travel, where staff were "very apologetic," but a follow-up call later that day confirmed that no refund would be offered. "One of the girls from the shop rang us back saying they wouldn't offer us anything, saying it was our fault because we were responsible for the documents," Dan said. "We don't get a refund, nothing. My argument is we paid Hays Travel for the service, they offered to check us in so they should have let us know if there was a problem."
Impact on the Family
The family had planned the trip as an annual gathering with 24 others from Dan's former rugby club. "We had booked it earlier in the year, probably around February. We missed the group trip last year so we decided to go this year, only to end up missing it again," Dan said. "I was annoyed, the kids were upset watching everyone board the plane without us. They walked us back through customs, we collected our bags, and that was early in the morning."
Dan expressed frustration that the issue was not caught earlier: "It's not only that (the passport) was in date. They issued us with boarding passes—you just assume everything is OK. We were even checked in three and a half weeks before the holiday. If they had flagged it up at that point, everything would have been all right." He added, "Normally I book these things myself, and I feel if I had done it myself I would have noticed it. But we've been left without a holiday or any form of compensation."
