Overview

• Schengen-area entry rules require passports to have been issued within the past ten years and remain valid for at least three months beyond departure.
• Standard renewals on GOV.UK cost £94.50 online or £107 by post and are currently averaging around three weeks for delivery.
• HM Passport Office offers paid expedited options—a one-week Fast Track and a one-day Online Premium service—for fees up to approximately £222.
• Research by Confused.com finds fewer than half of UK holidaymakers know about the ten-year date-of-issue rule, putting many at risk of denied boarding.
• A Liverpool Echo reporter’s personal application arrived in under two weeks without using fast-track services, showing some renewals can be quicker than average.