Mum forced to leave son at Ryanair check-in as 'confusing' passport rule ruins holiday

dailyrecord.co.uk:

One mum was forced to say a tearful goodbye to her son and husband at the check-in desk even though her passport still had six months on it before expiry.Ana Tiganescu was so looking forward to her first holiday in more than three years with a trip to Faro, Portugal, to spend time with members of her family.

The University of Leeds scientist was left devastated when a member of Ryanair staff at Leeds Bradford Airport told her she couldn't travel, writes The Mirror.

Even though Dr Tiganescu had six months left before her UK passport expires, she was barred from the flight and could not head off on the week-long trip because her passport was issued more than 10 years ago.The family were forced to make a split second decision about whether they'd go without her, only to be told their hold luggage would have to remain in the UK with Dr Tiganescu as she had checked it in.Since leaving the EU, Brits are subject to stringent passport requirements set by each of the member states, with the majority requiring them to have at least six months until the expiration date and to have been issued no more than 10 years ago.The UK government's official travel advice webpage for Portugal states: "Your passport must meet 2 requirements.

It must be:The government has asked the European Commission to clarify the 10-year rule but guidance may not be updated until "the spring of 2022"."Until then, for some Schengen countries your passport may need to be less than 10 years old during your whole visit, and the 3 months at the end of your visit may need to be within 10 years of your passport’s issue date," the page reads."Check both the issue date and the expiry date in your passport.