Nobody is going to stop you going on a plane to, say Cyprus (as they don't have any specific requirements other than it being valid for the trip) if you don't have 6 months left on your passport even if that's what your TO told you that you must have.

Not correct - If a representative of the TO sees that your passport does not have six months still on it, and the T&Cs require it, then they are withing their rights to refuse you.

As someone has already said, the reason is probably to cover the TO in case they are held responsible having transported you to a destination that requires it.

We can talk about this forever but who do you hold responsible?

The TO or agent. With DIY bocoming more popular then some of these checks are bypassed.

We should also consider what has been said in the past on HT.

Complaints have been made about various things that on investigation were covered in the T&Cs - Just that nobody had read them.

Someone elsewhere said they do not bother with insurance and have never had a problem.

At the end of the day it is up to you to check - if every eventuality was to be covered in T&Cs for example then you you would have a book as big as War and Peace.

There are still lots of people who do not know about the EHIC card ( European Health Insurance Card ) that is a requirement in your insurance documents and is in the T&Cs and I have seen publicity for it.

The biggest problem is that many people do not take in what is said in the excitement of booking a holiday or do not read ALL the paperwork. Very much like we do not read the instruction manual when we get a new gizmo

fwh

fwh,

Very valid point. However, some of the T&C's when booking a holiday don't stipulate that a passport has to be valid for 6 months beyond the intended return date. It merely refers the person booking the holiday to check with the embassy or the passport agency.

Only after having send the tickets, a leaflet is given to the customer advising them of this requirement.

Perhaps it has to be made clearer in the Terms and Conditions of booking that in addition to the official immigration requirements a passport has be valid for 6 months beyond the planned return date.

Simple as that, rather than mentioning it elsewhere in a FAQ or leaflet for example.

Mark

At the end of the day if people are silly enough not to check these things out more fool them.

Yes but FWH when you check in the tour operator representative (if they are checking you in, which a lot of times they are not as it's not their own airline), yes they will check your expiry date. If they find its invalid for the country you are going to they will refuse you. If it's okay they will not. Despite the booking details that tell you to have 6 months on your passport, if you have flight tickets to a country that doesn't require it they do not have powers to refuse you boarding. And they wouldn't do anyway. They are only doing it to cover any backlash.

As others have said - and we must all really agree. It's best to have at least 6 months left on your passport if you are travelling. That way you will be alright.

The point of this thread was actually that someone encountered a scenario where they DID require 6 months but the tour operator or the T&Cs made no mention of it. It's now become more about how many TOs state that there IS a requirement regardless of whether there is or not. The OP was unlucky I think that she booked with a TO who didn't make any stipulations.

DIY you should be better off as it is your lone responsibility to find out exactly what passport requirements are for the country you are visiting.

But please do remember the post I linked to in my first reply. That poster read the 6 month requirement when the tickets were received and queried it with the TO and was promply informed to cancel her holiday or postpone it until such time she got a new passport.

Mark

They were told a 90 day requirement!

No wonder people are doing DIY so much more these days. TOs seem to be doing things to 'cover their backs' and getting people into a panic in the process. I understand the frustration from the poster in the thread you linked, and that at that late stage it wouldn't enter your head to go around ringing embassies and whatnot. They weren't given the right advice when they phoned with the problem, and they didn't check for themselves at that time.

I also understand that when you travel if you are with a tour operator you expect them to provide you with the necessary details on the country you are visiting. But there are always T&Cs at the back of brochures and on websites which I always read well in advance. Okay, I'm gathering that not everyone does this!

Jackie Uk tenerife

At the end of the day you will be the one who looks silly when you are refused entry if you dont check a countries entry requirements. Rant all you want but you will be refused entry if thats the rule. Its quite simple really. oh and 'legally' its up to the customer to check all paper work and countries immigration regulations. Thats how the 6 month rule works and is enforced by both company and country.

Seriously, it's not that difficult to understand

Hi pink_buttefly,

Thats how the 6 month rule works and is enforced by both company and country.

Perhaps you should read all posts in this topic before making this conclusion.

Legally speaking Spain does not require any expiry beyond the return date on the passport.

However, certain Tour Operators make it a requirement of the booking, therefore going against the immigration requirements of Spain and perhaps even airline regulations.

Mark

No offence here but I suggest you read my posts. I do know and understand how this works. My point was that by telling and ensuring the customer to read all small print and relevant docmentation of both the TO and country the 6 month rule can be enforced. IE you couldn't turn around and say 'oh but no one told me'.

Not trying to 'nit-pick' on your post, but

At the end of the day you will be the one who looks silly when you are refused entry if you dont check a countries entry requirements

that bit prompted me to make my previous statement.

Mark

Reading the local paper online there is an article about holidays.

Thought these first two points by the Customs Spokesman very relevant for those on HT

fwh

Sensible precautions include:

* Checking you have a current passport: it's amazing how many don't.

* Familiarising yourself with allowances on cigarettes, alcohol and souvenirs, especially on travel outside the EU.

pink_butterfly ... with regard to Spain, some travel agents and tour operators are quiite specific that passports must be valid for 6 months beyond proposed travel dates.

The Spanish Embassy on the other hand is quite specific that passports need only be valid for the intended duration of stay in the country.

But if the travel agent or tour operator's small print forms part of the booking conditions, it may mean someone having to arrange an urgent, expensive and totally unnecessary renewal of a passport, because the agent or operator will tell them that they are unable to travel without six months validity and they would be in breach of contract for doing so.

If you know and understand how this works, I would love you to tell us because I asked some more travel agents today and none of them had a clue. As far as they were concerned, if your passport wasn't valid for 6 months you would not be able to travel to Spain. One of them suggested that if booking conditions were ignored, the passport validity would be spotted at check in and boarding denied. But if check in staff failed to notice, then Spanish immigration certainly would and send the passenger back home on the same plane.

We know that is complete and utter nonsense, because there is no 6 month validity requirement for Spain, and many other countries. So is it any wonder that travellers are left so completely baffled and bemused when the travel industry advises on company policy with regard to passports, claiming it to be immigration policy ? Why can't they advise on immigration policy for individual countries, rather than a one-answer-fits-all company policy applying to all destinations ?

fwh ... having a current passport which is valid for your travel dates is certainly a sensible precaution. Having one which is valid for 6 months beyond those dates is another matter, and sadly one which the travel industry and individual Embassies appear to offer conflicting advice on.

David

KMBA

Further to your post regarding my attitude.

I think you too have misunderstood my point.

Whenever I/my family travel we always have a valid passport, I would not be so stupid as to travel knowing that my passport is going to expire half way through my holiday. The point I am trying to make is that until a couple of weeks ago whilst reading this thread I had no idea that the six month rule existed, so therefore have travelled on occassions with less than six months validation on my passport when I return. That is why I said as far as I was concerned my passport has been valid until it's expiry date. My next point was as we DIY and are not in contact with T.O's how would I have found out about the six month rule if I was not a member of HT, because this is something that I feel the passport office could inform people of with a slip of paper enclosed when you renew a passport. Also I can assure you that for the last 23 years we have been going DIY and we never have any small print or T&C.. We own timeshare and if staying at the resort we own at all we do is make a phone call requesting the date we want and we get the confirmation over the phone, sometimes we receive an e-mail confirming it. If we exchange through the timeshare exchange company all we get is confirmation of where we have booked, the dates and the facilities on site. This is our booking confirmation which we have to take with us. Niether of which contain T & C's or small print. With regard to flights this is normally done through a company on the internet. They do not physically issue tickets, you print out your booking confirmation and hand that in at check in. All this consists of is the flight times, numbers, dates,destination, names of people travelling and the amount paid plus confirmation that it has been paid in full. Again with no T & C's or small print. So please don't tell me what I receive and what I don't.
So again I ask how are people to find out about the six month rule if they do not use T.O's (even though they are giving conflicting information), the passport office are not informing people and you don't belong to a site like H.T.?

The other point as brought up by others is that even though there are no entry/immigration requirements in some countries some T.O's are making it their rule that you have the six months on your passport when you return and others say nothing. We are talking about inconsistency with the T.O's making people renew their passport early when there is really no need.

Where's the harm in renewing your passport if it has less than six months until it expires? You going to have to at some point so why risk leaving it until the last minute.

From the posts on this subject there are those that think you should be OK to travel if your passport has not yet expired and those that play safe and enure they have at least six months left.

It is also clear that TO's/airlines/immigration authorities in various countries have differing rules or give conflicting advice.

So what's wrong with renewing early - you don't lose the unexpired time and you don't risk being turned away from the airport.

The idea that "they" are in the wrong for giving conflicting advice is no use when you are refused entry to a country or are uanble to board your flight. I can't understand why some peoaple risk it.

I'll say it again BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT

But you do now.

I would also ask when you say TO's are making you renew your passport early - how soon is early. What have you lost if someone says you need to renew with 9 months left and you get a new passport valid for 10 years 9 months.

How late would you leave it?

If you are DIY it is down to you to find out what the rules are for the country you are visiting.

If you are using a TO it is still advisable to familiarise yourself with the same information.

Have been watching this thread for a couple of days and quite honestly can't believe the attitude of some of the peeps on here.

Jumping on peeps for NOT knowing about this 6 month rule is REALLY helpful (NOT) and I'm delighted that you are so well informed - some are not so fortunate!

We did package holidays up until 2004 and I can say hand on heart that not ONE SINGLE Tour Op has EVER pointed this out to us!

It may not be a case of people 'risking it' it may be a case of peeps just not knowing about it - there IS a difference!

I don't think there would be many daft enough to travel on a passport that was due to expire mid holiday but I can fully understand those caught up with this 6 month thing - my reasoning is that my passport is a 10 year passport and I would expect to be able to use it for 10 years not 9 years and 6 months!

Whether there is harm or no harm in renewing early is totally irrelevant if my passport says it's valid to a set date then that should be it - not 6 months before! Who actually benefits from this 'rule'?