Starting January 1st there will be new passport rules by European Union for British citizens. Only the British citizens with a 6-month Passport validity can travel to the countries under European Union for holidays. This new Brexit rule can adversely affect millions of passport users and therefore one can expect a pandemonium at the passport renewal office in the coming days.
This new Brexit independent Trade pact was signed between the European Union and Britain during this Christmas. There was a 100-page deal which reflected the new Business, Fishing and Business rules. The new deal was sanctioned in the event of the expiry of the transition period between the UK and the European Union on Dec 31 and will affect the travel plans of the British towards the countries under the EU. These rules are also applicable to EU citizens, as freedom of movement will also end on this date. The new system is points-based, with the government favouring skilled workers. Also, those looking for work in the UK must have a specific set of requirements. Self-employed and freelance workers will not be affected as they require to apply visas under existing rules and will not need to be sponsored.
As per the earlier passport rules, the passport holders had a nine-month validity period and that amounted to 10 years and nine months but according to the latest rule, the British travellers will be required to stretch that to 15 more months. But this rule is not applicable to Ireland.
If you are planning to renew the passport before the expiry of the previous one, rest of the days will be added to the passport. It will take at least three to eight weeks to get the new passport. If you want to speed up the process (citing personal or professional reasons), you need to pay extra. This can be applied online.