Transiting flights: Have EU rules changed regarding passports?

Confusion has arisen after a UK media article recently reported on a seemingly new passport-validity rule concerning connecting flights at Amsterdam airport. 

It came after Gavin McDermott, a UK national, was denied boarding for a flight on Dutch flag-carrier KLM from the UK to Amsterdam Schiphol airport where he was set to transit for a connecting flight to Hong Kong. 

Mr McDermott was refused boarding at Leeds Bradford airport after his passport was flagged as invalid for entering the EU as it was over 10 years old (although it had not yet expired) and did not abide by EU rules. 

This was despite him not being due to exit the airport’s transit area and enter the bloc.

As a result he had to travel to London and take a direct flight from there to Hong Kong the next day.

When applying for compensation for the issue Mr McDermott was denied a refund, with the airline telling him that it had correctly followed procedure.

However, EU rules about transiting flights do not follow this approach and have not been changed.

What are the rules surrounding passport validity and connecting flights in the EU?

The EU Visa Code states that passengers taking a transit flight do not need to meet the entry conditions of the country where the transiting airport is situated, only the conditions of their destination country. 

When transiting between flights from two non-Schengen destinations travellers do not need any additional documentation, provided they do not exit the transit zone. 

In Mr McDermott’s case, he had enough validity on his passport from the date of his planned exit from Hong Kong to abide by that nation’s rules, even if his passport was not valid to enter the EU.

What are the passport validity rules for entering the EU?

As a reminder, for passengers who are not in transit but are actually visiting the country in which they have arrived, only passports that were issued less than 10 years ago and also retain a specified validity can be used to enter the EU. 

This has posed problems for Britons in the past, as the UK Home Office used to offer passports with an extended validity (up to 10 years and nine months) in a bid to entice travellers to renew passports early and avoid a rush of requests in pre-holiday periods.

This policy was in place until 2018, and while the UK remained part of the EU it did not affect Britons, as all EU passports are accepted within the bloc (providing they were deemed valid by the rules of the issuing nation).

Since 2021 however Britons whose passports were issued more than 10 years ago are denied entry to the bloc, even if they have a remaining validity period covering the date of travel.

Read more: Reader questions about the UK’s new ETA answered

The European Commission confirmed to The Connexion that passengers travelling via international airport transit areas of Schengen airports benefit from the principle of free transit, as laid down in Annex 9 to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and Article 1 of the Visa Code. Specific rules intended to facilitate such transit are stated in the Schengen Borders Code. 

An EU FAQ document indicates that transiting passengers are therefore not required to fulfil all Schengen entry requirements. However, they must hold a valid travel document, and individual Schengen States can further require airport transit visas for nationals of certain third countries. 

The UK is not on this list and so should not be subject to transit visa requirements. 

Note that passengers transiting directly via a UK airport are exempt from the incoming ‘Electronic Travel Authorisation’ (ETA, a visa-like scheme for most non-British travellers entering the UK).