I received a text from HMPassport yesterday about renewing a passport earlier than planned.
Using the UK Gov online checker I found that my passport would not be valid beyond 31st October if there is "no deal’.
(although my passport is due to expire Aug 2020, I had previously changed it in Feb 2010).
Sorry for repeating this if it is shown in another thread!
Fortunately I will be in UK next week and have made appointment to renew passport during my stay.
Hi Sarah… the link seems to be aimed at UK residents travelling to Europe…
Do you have another link… for UK Passport Holders who live permanently in the EU… 
Really? Where did HM Passport Office get your mobile number from?
Possible scam?
Your passport won’t be valid beyond Feb 2020. I presume you exchanged it early and the " unused" months -Feb to August-were added to your new passport. That has now been declared illegal as no passport can be for longer than 10 years. If you renewed yours in Feb 2010 and the expiry date on it is August 2020 that’s 10 years and 6 months. I believe any time over the 10 years is now invalid. So you would need to renew by Feb 2020-but to travel after Oct 31 ( if Brexit happens) you need a ’ legal’ 6 months on your passport-so that would mean you need to renew it now if possible. At least that’s my understanding of how things work.
This is presumably related to the message Sarah has received. Talks about having 6 months left on the passport…
"There are 2 new rules that passports will need to meet to travel to most countries in Europe.
Firstly, travellers will need to have at least 6 months left on their passport.
Secondly, any extra months on a passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed. A passport may have extra months if the holder renewed their previous passport before it expired.
The texts will be sent to those who provided their mobile number when they applied for their current passport."
Lots of puff and wind from HMGov in my opinion. If one has a valid passport with 6 months at least… all is well. A passport which was renewed before it expired may have extra months… so what is the problem ???
No, Stella, it is concerning UK passport holders
Correct Sue, that is why I put my current passport dates in my original post.
They have my number from previous application. Not a scam, though I thought that at first.
Glad I had the reminder as I travel for work.
It gives very ambiguous information… with insufficient detail in my opinion. (considering it is written in English - why does it say “may not count” if it means WILL NOT and “may have”… it’s very airy fairy…
I am NOT travelling to Europe - I live in Europe (France) and have no plans to leave.
as I say… it says nothing about folk living in EU and remaining in EU… it merely asks which country one wishes to travel to (from the UK presumably-again airy fairy.)
I shall follow French guidelines if and when…
Yes but presumably, if you live in France and travel to the UK post no deal on the 31st, if you don’t have more than six months left, you won’t be able to get back in.
6 months on the UK passport is something UK is demanding… it is the ambiguity of the extra months… which, in my view, makes folk worry/panic.
I do not foresee any problem getting back into France… if I did, I would certainly not bother to cross the Channel… (and yes, like many I do have family there) 
Absolutely! Imagine not being able to get back home!!
Gov checker stated that I could not travel to France (where I live!) after 31st Oct if it’s No Deal.
Sue Young’s post above says it all .
I hear what you all say… and I do understand your worries.
But, I have more faith in the common-sense of the French Government, than the bullying tactics of the UK Government.
This sounds about right Sue. If you visit Canada, for example, with a UK passport then it must have at least 6 months validity at the time of travel. I recall that this was the case when I went to India.
However, I have just checked that a US passport holder visiting the Schengen Zone only needs 3 months validity which applies from the date of the end of their trip.
It does seem to depend on the country you are visiting and country of origin of your passport.
With a no-deal Brexit the rules for passports were bound to change so this is not really a surprise. The issue, of course, is that if you have less than 6 months on your passport you have to have a crystal ball to decide what to do!
Sorry-I thought you were querying it. I think lots of people may get caught out with this.
Exact! My post was intended to help others.
Thanks for your response and I am so pleased that I haven’t been caught out!
Hi Sarah
Yes, I’m sure your Post will be of help to others - if only to encourage them to look at their Passport now… and try to figure out what to do next (if anything).
I am eager to see what the next missive from HMGov will be… when they update their pages yet again… .
I had the same message, so my husband & I checked out the information & all was correct in the postings above about extra months being invalidated. We did an emergency trip back to UK and got new passports in a day. I feel it has taken a lot of stress away from the turbulent Brexit times. I feel better safe than sorry.
It’s aimed at any British passport holder, whatever direction they are travelling in - or intend to travel. I am might pleased to have seen this thread. Mine was also deemed N.G. for travel post Brexit [No Deal].
I happen to be in Spain but intending to go to UK soon for admin stuff. If you are ex-UK you can’t go if you have sent your p/p for renewal - although I s’pose you could try to wing it with other ‘docamenti’. And if you go and then send off for renewal while in UK you have to wait for the new one in order to return whence you came.
I had a faff with the photo. I’m a pro photographer. I did it with my phone in ‘selfie’ mode.
First the complaint was ‘the colour’. I hadn’t messed with the photo. I tried again, different [natural] lighting. Same complaint.
I cranked up Adobe Lightroom, a pro photo-fettler app, tweaked colour temperature, contrast, saturation, exposure - made myself look washed-out pale-faced Brit - no complaints! Then I thought the specs cord might upset them. Did it again. This time I knew what they expect to see, so all good.
£86 + £19.xx courier to Spain. And stuck, now, till it pitches up.
I think the sensible thing to do is use the UK P/P office pages. If you have a UK p/p, that’s the tablet from the mountaintop. The French have nothing to contribute to the renewal or not of a UK p/p.
Stick the info in. If it says your p/p is NG for the travel dates you have in mind, renew pronto.