As of January, the EU could refuse entry to over 2.5 million British

After December 31, more than 2.5 million British people will be barred from entering most European countries if they do not renew their passports.

Although passengers interested in making short tourist trips would not need a visa, many people may be caught out until the transition period in the United Kingdom comes to an end, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com on January 1, 2021.

Currently, people of Britain can travel freely to the European Union and Schengen Zone countries, since their passports are valid until their expiration date.

However, as of 2021, citizens of the United Kingdom will be required by the new legislation to have at least six months left on their passport if they wish to visit countries protected by the European Union or the EEA. It is only Ireland that has no such laws in effect.

Those holding passports with a validity of less than six months or more than ten years will be barred from entering the countries of the EU and the Schengen region.

Five million passports are issued annually by the United Kingdom Passport Office, although the number of renewals or new documents is unknown.

According to some experts, even though Britons acquire valid passports, delays at the border will occur because they would have to queue with nationals from other countries outside the European Union. They would also be expected to show a return ticket and proof to officials that they have ample money during their stay.

It would not be appropriate to have a visa for tourist trips, buying stays would be limited to 90 days, in a six-month span that would cause holiday homeowners problems.

As the Passport Office closed its doors to face-to-face problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the matter took a turn for the worse.

A philosophy professor currently working in Austria, Simon Rippon, reported to the Sunday Times that "it might take eight weeks to renew one of his children's passports."

"A lot of people will be sent home from their flights because they didn't know they needed a passport that would fit the new criteria," he said.

He also listed the Passport Office's text message reminders, with ambiguous wording:' The rules of passport validity will change from January 1, 2021, you will need to renew sooner than expected.'

Previously, the authorities in the United Kingdom have reminded Italian nationals who do not currently reside in Britain or have the right under the Withdrawal Agreement to comply with certain visa application conditions so that they can be able to work or study in the United Kingdom from 1 January 2021 onwards.

The Dutch Immigration Service (IND) has reported that more than 6,100 UK nationals who have received a letter urging them to apply for residence in the Netherlands have not yet replied.

An article published by SchengenVisaInfo.com in October emphasized the changes that would take place at the end of the UK transition period, as well as the validity of post-Brexit passports.