Brexit Passport Rules Prevent Celebrated Author from Attending Awards Ceremony
Renowned children's author, broadcaster, and academic Michael Rosen was unable to attend a major international awards ceremony after being turned away at Stansted airport due to post-Brexit passport regulations. The 79-year-old writer, famous for the classic We're Going on a Bear Hunt, had been invited to the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy, where he was shortlisted for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award.
Travel Disruption at Stansted Airport
Early on Monday morning, Rosen traveled from his north London home to Stansted airport for a Ryanair flight to Bologna. The event organisers had arranged his flights and accommodation, providing him with a boarding pass for the journey. However, upon reaching the gate, Ryanair staff denied him boarding after inspecting his passport.
Rosen explained: "I go through the check-in and I go through security and I go through all that, finally get to gate 91 and present my passport and ticket. The two very nice people working for Ryanair looked at my passport, which has my name, of course. It says Michael Wayne Rosen, British citizen, and it's got my date of birth, and then it says the passport was issued on 4 March 2016."
Post-Brexit Passport Requirements
Under current rules for UK travellers to the European Union, passports must meet two key conditions:
- Issued not more than 10 years before the date of entry to the EU.
- At least three months remaining on the intended day of departure from the EU.
Rosen's passport, like many issued before September 2018, is valid for over 10 years. While it easily met the second condition, it was 40 days too old for the first requirement, rendering it invalid for travel. He acknowledged the oversight, stating: "You can tap me on the wrist, and say, 'you fool Rosen – you should have read the regs'. Well, there's a simple reason for that: because I was a guest, I didn't see any travel documents. They just sent me a ticket which I then popped into my wallet on my phone."
Online Backlash and Misinformation
After the incident, Rosen posted on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting the issue and attributing it to Brexit. He wrote: "Ha! I've just been refused entry onto a plane from Stansted to Bologna because my passport issue date is March 2016. The expiry date is August 2026 but the rule is 10 years from issue date. Another Brexit benefit." The post received over 1,400 responses, many of which were abusive.
Rosen reported receiving "vast amounts of abuse", including derogatory comments such as "You must be f***ing stupid" and "f***ing dimwitted". He noted that mentioning Brexit triggered a wave of trolling, with some respondents incorrectly claiming the rules had not changed post-Brexit. One commenter wrongly stated: "WTF has Brexit got to do with it? Has always been the same."
A Silver Lining Amid the Disappointment
Despite the travel setback, there was a positive outcome. Shortly after returning home, Rosen received a call informing him that he had won the Hans Christian Andersen Award. He expressed mixed feelings, saying: "I'm a little bit sad that I wasn't at the announcement, to bask in the glory and all that, and for me to put an imaginary crown on my head. But I've had a happy day basking in that glory."
He added that the financial impact was minimal since the organisers covered his expenses, remarking: "If I had paid for the ticket, my tickets coming home as well, and the hotel stay, I would have been a little bit more miffed, but, as you can see, I'm still smiling."
This incident underscores the ongoing challenges and confusion surrounding post-Brexit travel regulations, particularly for UK citizens with older passports. It serves as a reminder for travellers to verify their passport validity well in advance of trips to the EU to avoid similar disruptions.
