WHAT ARE THE NEW BORDER RULES?
Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder
Q My partner is a US citizen, though she lives in London. We turned up at Heathrow for a flight to Vienna for a weekend, but were turned away because her passport has only two months to run. Neither of us had heard of this rule before. Is it a new rule, or have we been unfairly denied boarding?
Name withheld
A This is a relatively new regulation which forms part of the Schengen agreement on border-free travel within Europe. It applies to all the Schengen countries, including Austria. Since the summer of 2013, passports from outside the EU “shall extend at least three months after the intended date of departure
from the territory of the Member States”. The rules add, “in a justified case of emergency, this obligation may be waived”, although this does not apply to a weekend away.
As the US State Department now warns American passport holders: “Check the expiration date on your passport carefully before travelling to Europe. Entry into any of the 26 European countries in the Schengen area for short-term tourism, a business trip, or in transit to a non-Schengen destination, requires that your passport be valid for at least three months beyond your intended date of departure.” I am afraid in a case like this, there is no obligation for the airline/travel company to allow you to claim a refund or rebook for a later date, and nor is it a loss covered by travel insurance.
Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder