Stupidly I didn’t realise/know that you can’t travel out of the uk with a passport that expires in under 6 months
I got to the check in and they told me this, I have spent 2k to go to Vietnam and was very excited until I got this news
I’m currently outside of airport security and my flight is in 2 hours, what would happen if I just went through security into departures and tried to get through my airplanes gate? I’m assuming the person on the gate would see my expiration date on my passport and not let me in, is this the case?
What other options do I have? Or am I just to take my loss and head back home
19 comments
You’ve fucked it.
I did a quick search and it’s not good news my friend
Really sorry – must be gutted
I highly doubt you’d get anywhere near to boarding the plane, even if by some miracle you did get to Vietnam their passport control would likely just turn you back around and tell you to go home.
Expensive lesson but you just have to take the loss on this one. You MIGHT be able to rearrange your flight but you will likely have to pay, it seems there is quite a wait on passport renewals at the moment as well.
As you’re not checked in, I don’t think you could get through security as you don’t have a boarding pass? Similarly when you attempt to board the plane, they would want your boarding pass too.
Secondly, it’s not the UK requiring you to have 6 months on your passport to leave, it’ll be Vietnam wanting you to have 6 months on your passport to enter.
https://www.bal.com/bal-news/vietnam-strictly-enforcing-6-month-passport-rule/
Your best bet is to spend today looking at getting your passport renewed. There are expensive services you can use to get a fast-tracked renewal, and will most likely require you visiting a passport office in person.
If you eat the cost of the rewnewal, and speak to your airline about moving the dates of your flights back, you can at least try and do part of the trip.
edit: Here’s the passport renewal: https://www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently/online-premium-service . Looks like the fastest would be a 2-day turnaround, but I’m not sure how the weekend will affect that.
I’m sorry mate, there’s not much that can be done.
Good luck to ya.
You will not get on the plane, I’m afraid. Airlines are fined and have to repatriate at their cost for carrying a passenger with invalid documents. Even if you were to make it through LHR and on to the plane, Vietnam will refuse entry and you will be sent back.
Nor is it an insurable event.
Expensive lesson learned – always check http://www.gov.uk for the country you are planning to visit.
They have allowed you to check in and have issued you with a boarding card, even though they said you cannot travel?
Even this is the case, the next problem could be at Vietnam immigration.
You can’t just go through security, they’ll check your passport there too, and before you board your flight and on your (presumable) changeover. Sorry man, an absolute scunner.
It may be scant consolation to you, but you can travel out of the UK with a passport with under six months on it to quite a lot of places, including the US.
If you have the time all booked off work can you make a last minute trip elsewhere instead?
You won’t even get through security without a boarding pass – you have to scan it to get through the barriers in to security.
There’s nothing you can do in 2 hours. Best bet is to head home and look at renewing your passport as quickly as possible, bear in mind that there’s massive backlogs with passports atm. I wouldn’t even rebook until I had the new passport in my hand.
Whether you get the bus home or phone a taxi.
You’re not checked in so you don’t have a boarding pass presumably? You’re not getting past security, let alone to the gates.
You could try checking in online, get your boarding pass on your phone, hope the person checking at boarding doesn’t notice (hey sometimes they even let children traveling alone on the wrong flight), and hope there are sufficient months remaining that Vietnam border people let you in.
Look on the bright side, you wont do it again.
Even if you somehow got in the plane, chances are Vietnam wouldn’t let you in so you’d be trapped unable to fly home either
Question 1: Do you have a boarding card? IF you don’t have a boarding card, you **can’t** get through security.
Question 2: Do you have an E-Visa or were you entering under a visa exemption?
If you’re entering on a visa exemption, you are **required** to have 6 months left on your passport. You’re out of luck.
If you have an E-Visa, it’s less clear. Their [FAQ](https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/web/guest/faq) says:
> 4. What is the minimum passport expiry date required to apply for an e-Visa?
> According to Vietnam Law, the visa expiry date must be at least 30 days before the passport expiry date. Therefore, an e-Visa expiry date must also be at least 30 days before the passport expiry date.
They are correct in that the 30 days is what’s written in law in Vietnam. They may have tightened that up during the pandemic, but, if they’ve issued you an E-Visa…
So, Boarding Card or not? E-Visa or not?
I’d start cancelling and see what money you can recover.
I got the covid requirements wrong to enter the UK during lockdown (covid test result was not in English 🙄). It was totally my own fault and I didn’t know until I got to back drop, I phoned British Airways and despite them having absolutely no obligation to refund me at all they gave me 100% of the cost of the ticket back in vouchers, which I spent almost instantly getting a flight the next day.
You may be able to get some money back in the form of vouchers, no ideal but better then nothing.
You’re fucked. Won’t be allowed to board and on the slim chance you do you won’t be allowed to enter Vietnam at the other end.
It’s been and gone now, but your problem is that even if the airline let you on, border control at your destination could still block you, and then you’ve paid for two flights for nothing but a waste of time.