Around 3.5 million British passport holders could be prevented from travelling to some European countries in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Which? has learned.
The UK government has said that some passports with as much as 15 months of validity remaining won’t be accepted for travel in Schengen Area countries if the UK exits the EU without a deal.
That is despite previous government advice that just six-months validity would be required.
The Home Office told Which? Travel that of the millions of passport holders affected, between one and one and a half million could try to travel in spring or summer 2019.
These travellers will be prevented from travelling at the airport, unless they renew their passports.
The revelation comes as new Which? research shows high levels of dissatisfaction with the Government’s preparations for a no-deal Brexit – and information provided about the potential impact of such an outcome.
According to the latest results from Which?’s Brexit Tracker, four in five people (82%) said the Government had communicated either too little information or no information at all about the impact of a no-deal Brexit.
Additionally, three in five people (61%) said they were dissatisfied with government preparation for a no-deal scenario – with only one in 10 (10%) saying they were satisfied.
Only one in seven (15%) said they were aware of government advice about the potential impacts of a no-deal scenario.
Three in five people (59%) now think that a no-deal Brexit would have a negative impact on consumers.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, said:
“People will be shocked to hear that they could be turned away at airports and prevented from going on holiday – even when their passport is valid for another 15 months.
“As this potentially affects the travel arrangements of millions of people, the government and travel companies must urgently up their efforts to ensure holidaymakers have clear and accurate information – so that no-one is left stranded at the departure gate.”
