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Blue British Passport Passport Validity Rules: What Brits Travelling To Spain Need To Know Expat Tips

With Brexit, came change.

Many of the everyday tasks and activities that British residents and holidaymakers previously took for granted have become bound in red tape.

One thing that did change was the requirement to have a specific amount of validity on your passport before travelling to Spain.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) recently published updated guidance on the new rules and how it affects British passport holders.

Below we aim to clarify the current requirements on passport validity which needs to be adhered to by British nationals arriving in Spain.

In essence, there are two groups of British passport holders we need to categorise.

  • British holidaymakers visiting Spain
  • British nationals legally resident Spain

British holidaymakers visiting Spain

Those visiting Spain from the UK, which includes those who may have a second home in the country, are now required to have a minimum of 3 months validity on their passport prior to travel.

The UK government recommends that you have at least 3 months left on your passport on the day that you travel.

This allows for travelling within Europe for up to 3 months and covers the requirement for most European countries where you need to have at least 3 valid months validity left on your passport on the day you leave.

In addition, a further stipulation is that your passport has to be less than 10 years old on the day after you leave.

It is also worth remembering that if you renewed your passport early, any additional months that are added are not counted towards the minimum period needed.

The news rules apply to those from the UK travelling to the EU and Schengen countries although it does not apply to those visiting Ireland.

The new guidance takes into account the 90-day rule which means that UK travellers can only spend a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day rolling period within the European Union.

British nationals legally resident in Spain

It’s important to note that the changes in passport validity do not affect British nationals who are legally resident in Spain.

As such, there is no requirement to have any extra months on your passport when arriving or departing from Spain.

If you are a British national resident in Spain and need to renew your passport, please check out our page - How To Renew Your UK Passport When Living In Spain