Wizz Air has warned British passengers planning October half-term and Christmas trips to check their passports, citing HM Passport Office figures showing 367,179 adult passports due to expire in the final three months of 2026. The warning applies to people travelling abroad whose documents may not meet their destination’s entry rules, even if the expiry date appears to be in the future.
The timing is tight. About 2 to 3.5 million British travellers are expected to go abroad during the autumn school break, and the airline says many destinations require at least six months of passport validity.
Yvonne Moynihan, the airline’s UK general manager, said passengers should not discover a problem at check-in. “Nobody wants to arrive at the airport ready for their half term holiday only to discover there's a problem with their passport.”
She urged travellers to review their documents and destination requirements early. Moynihan also said more than 367,000 adult passports are due to expire before the end of the year, including people already considering a Christmas trip.
More than 135,000 adult passports expire in October
The figures from the airline’s freedom of information request show how expiry dates fall across the final quarter of the year.
| Expiry month | Adult passports due to expire |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | 135,006 |
| November | 125,405 |
| December | 106,768 |
The October total is already within the period when many people are preparing to travel. Renewals can take weeks, and a passenger who misses an entry requirement may be unable to travel with their group.
Schengen entry depends on both issue and expiry dates
British visitors to the EU and Schengen area need to check when a passport was issued as well as when it expires. The passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the traveller enters, and remain valid for at least three months after the planned departure from the EU.
That issue-date test can catch people whose passports still display a future expiry date. Before September 2018, the passport office could transfer as many as nine unused months from an old document to a renewed one. Those added months do not count toward the Schengen 10-year limit.
The requirements cover 25 European countries, including Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Greece, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. They are separate from the airline’s broader warning that many destinations require six months of validity, so travellers need to check the requirements for their specific destination.
Ricky Durrance, a travel expert at Teletext Holidays, said: “Don't look at the expiry date alone. Check the issue date as well, and you'll know whether your passport meets the requirements for your trip.”
A passport issued on September 5, 2016, with an expiry date of June 2027 would not meet the issue-date test for someone arriving in the Schengen area on October 24, 2026. A future expiry date does not resolve that problem.
Renewals range from a three-week wait to a four-hour collection
A standard renewal usually takes about three weeks. The office sends text messages and emails as an application progresses, but processing can take longer if it needs more information or an interview.
A 34-page adult passport costs £102.00 online or £115.50 by paper application. An online child passport costs £66.50. The one-day premium service costs £239.50 for a standard adult passport; applicants apply online, upload a digital photo and book an appointment, usually available two days after applying. The new document is ready to collect four hours after the appointment. That option is not available for child passports or first-time adult passports.
The one-week fast-track service costs £192.00 for an adult passport and £156.50 for a child passport. Applicants book online and receive the passport at their address one week after the appointment. They can also use a paper form from the Post Office and take it, with two printed passport photos, to the appointment.
The Post Office offers Check & Send at selected locations, with digital service at 1,100 branches and paper-based service at 2,500 branches. The paper option uses the applicant’s own compliant photographs.
Travel experts say to check children’s documents and damage too
Durrance advised checking each family member’s document separately. Children’s passports are valid for five years, rather than the adult validity period.
Rhys Jones, a travel insurance expert at Go Compare Travel, said passport rules also cover blank pages, document condition and whether the passport was issued within the destination’s accepted period. Water can warp pages, blur personal details and affect stamps or visas, he said, making a document harder to scan or verify.
Torn or missing pages, peeling laminate, water stains, unreadable details and a damaged chip can all disrupt travel. Jones said airline staff or border officials may reject a passport that looks usable to its owner, and advised replacing a damaged document before departure.
The UK’s departure from the European Union in 2020 changed how UK passport holders enter EU and Schengen countries: they are treated as third-country nationals. British visitors can stay in Schengen countries for up to 90 days within a six-month period.
Durrance’s date example shows how the departure rule works: someone flying home from the Schengen area on November 1, 2026, needs a passport valid through February 1, 2027.
