Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Courtney Pochin & Hannah Graham

How long you can keep your red passport if you don't want to change it to blue after Brexit

Don't fancy turning your passport Brexit blue?

Although purely symbolic, the move from burgundy passports to the dark blue they were before Britain entered the European Union became one of the high profile demands of the Brexit campaign.

Some people, therefore, will be eager to get their hands on the new design, while others might want to hold on to the existing version.

On Saturday it was announced that the first batches of blue passports will be sent out next month, but what if you don't want to make the change?

All red passports can still be used for travel until they expire - so as long as you've got a decent chunk of time left on yours, you don't have to get a blue one any time soon.

This means if you recently renewed your passport and were sent a new red one, you'll be able to go another 10 years without getting a blue one.

It's cheaper to apply for a passport online (PA)

Passports should be renewed when they have six months left on the expiry date and it can take around three weeks to receive a new one, unless you go down the fast track route.

If your passport is about to run out, fear not, as there is a chance you might still be issued a red document.

All new passports issued in the UK aren't expected to be blue until mid-2020, this means from March, for the next few months, some people will receive burgundy ones and some will get blue.

Unfortunately, there's no way to guarantee which colour you are sent - so there might be disappointment on both sides.

As well as renewing passports when they have six months' validity left, UK travellers are being warned to have at least six months' validity left on their passport if visiting the EU from January 1 2021.

That is because current free movement rules will end and we will default to the stricter travel rules for certain countries outside the EU.

UK travellers are also being warned not to take a passport older than 10 years to the EU, even if it's still valid (which does happen in some circumstances).

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.