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Hello, I'm Simon Corder, welcoming you to my independent travel podcast, bringing you the latest on travelling, whether you're dreaming of a great escape or actively making plans for one.

If you're heading abroad, of course, you won't go far without a passport.

Many people haven't used theirs for a couple of years, so please allow me to offer an explainer on what you need to know.

Of course, this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can subscribe if you would like at independent.co.uk forward slash newsletters.

Passports used to be so simple, at least when the UK was part of the European Union.

You knew that your passport was valid up to and including the expiry date anywhere in the EU for as long as you

wanted. Since the start of 2021, which marked the end of the Brexit transition phase, that has changed.

And there has been an appalling amount of misinformation about what the rules actually are.

For Europe, the European Union, for the wider Schengen area,

which includes Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and a few other little countries,

the rules are perfectly clear. On the day you leave to go to the European Union,

your passport must have been issued in the past 10 years. Some British passports were issued over 10

years ago. If that's the case, you won't be allowed on board your plane.

And the other condition is on the day you leave the EU to come back to the UK,

is there at least three months remaining? That's the only conditions you need to meet.

And we have had all kinds of upsetting scenes at airports

with people being turned away when they shouldn't have been. If you are convinced that your

...