Spain passport checks for UK bank holiday travel

UK travellers heading to Spain should check two passport dates before this bank holiday journey. For entry to Spain’s Schengen area, a British passport normally must have been issued less than 10 years before arrival and expire at least three months after the planned departure date.

By the AtheneNet Travel Desk · Guidance checked 29 August 2026

Check the passport issue date first

Count back 10 years from the date you expect to arrive in Spain. The passport should normally have been issued after that point. A passport can remain unexpired while failing this separate issue-date test.

For example, for arrival on 30 August 2026, a passport issued on 31 August 2016 or later would appear to satisfy the less-than-10-years requirement. Extra validity added to some older passports does not change the printed issue date.

Check the expiry date independently

Now work forward from your planned departure from Spain. The passport normally needs to remain valid for at least three months after that date.

If the planned departure is 6 September 2026, the expiry date would normally need to be 6 December 2026 or later. Check both dates against the actual itinerary, including any change to the arrival or return journey.

These checks indicate whether a passport appears to meet the stated date rules; they do not guarantee admission. Border authorities make the final entry decision.

Previous Schengen trips count towards the stay limit

Visitors are generally permitted to spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the Schengen area. This is not a fresh 90-day allowance for every trip or every Schengen country.

Count days already spent anywhere in the Schengen area during the relevant 180-day window, including earlier holidays, business visits or trips to countries other than Spain. Arrival and departure days may count as days of stay.

Check every family member’s document

Children’s passports have their own issue and expiry dates and should be checked separately. Before leaving for the airport:

• Compare each passport’s issue date with the intended arrival date.
• Compare each expiry date with the planned departure date plus three months.
• Review previous Schengen travel for every passenger.
• Confirm that booking details match the documents being carried.

Recheck Spain’s official entry page before departure

Consult the live Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance for Spain immediately before travelling. Requirements and border systems can change, and an airline may also perform document checks.

Use Spain’s page for travel to Spain and the Schengen rules described there. Do not assume the same passport conditions apply to unrelated non-Schengen destinations.

Source: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office