Martin lewis issues urgent passport advice to anyone with a holiday booked

THE MONEY SAVING EXPERT SHARED TWO IMPORTANT CHECKS EVERY TRAVELLER NEEDED TO DO LINDA HOWARD Money and Consumer Writer and WILLIAM MORGAN Senior reporter 23:40, 21 May 2025 Money Saving

Expert Martin Lewis presented a summer special of his Money Show Live on Tuesday, discussing hot topics such as the upcoming car finance compensation decision in July, options for holiday

childcare, roaming charges for mobile phones, top credit cards for overseas use, and forecasts for the energy price cap prior to Ofgem's announcement this Friday. However, he

highlighted passports as a potential deal-breaker for summer plans, detailing two essential tips to ensure you’re set for smooth sailing. Delving into international travel details, Martin

underscored the significance of meeting passport validity requirements amidst tightening immigration regulations globally. A viewer named Mary recounted her distressing experience: "I

am 80 years old and booked flights for me and my daughter. Her passport had seven months until the date it expired. When we were about to board she was refused entry. The airline was

unsympathetic. I did not know about this. Whose responsibility is it to pick this up?" READ MORE: One flight rule people keep getting wrong according to travel expertREAD MORE: Martin

Lewis urges people to follow golden rule when paying by card on holiday Addressing STV viewers, Martin stressed that handling 'right to fly' checks falls squarely on the traveller,

reports the Daily Record. Article continues below He further warned: "I need to say something very important to everybody. Border control and flight checks are getting more stringent,

there's an immigration issue going on around the world and that means countries are getting stricter on who they let in, so you need to be more diligent with your checks." The

financial guru explained two crucial passport checks "everybody needs to do on their passport". He stressed: "These are very important, this is about the day that you will

enter the country. "The first check is on the day you enter the country - are there less than six months left on your passport, or if you're going to the EU less than three months

left? If so, that's a big problem. "But, there's another rule - even if you had seven months left on your passport - if your passport is over 10 years old many countries

won't let you in." Martin mentioned that previously when renewing passports, any remaining time on the old one would be added to the new document – which could explain why

Mary's daughter was denied boarding. To avoid any issues after checking these points, Martin advised renewing your passport. He advised: "If it's 'yes' to either of

those, then the safest thing to do is renew before you go. It takes three weeks typically to get a new passport and it's cheaper to do it online. "But let me be honest, I'm

hearing so many cases like this. If I was seven, eight or nine months away and the rule was six months, I'd probably play safe and get a new passport first anyway." Martin also

highlighted another critical step for those travelling to the USA, whether for a holiday or just passing through, which is to fill out the ESTA now. He warned: "There are tightened

border security in the States and if you don't have this - your online visa - people are being denied entry, you need to be careful." Article continues below Full details on

renewing your passport online for £94.50 can be found on GOV.UK here.