According to the Post Office, a fifth of us Brits have no idea when our passport expires, while 30 per cent of UK travellers have experienced a ‘passport nightmare’. Below is some handy tips and hints on your passport.

Passport Tips and Advice
Many of us can easily sit and laugh at a programme like Airline, when the passenger realises when they get to the check-in desk that they have left their passport. But airports see this every day...

Here are some quick tips to make sure your holiday does not turn into a passport nightmare.

• Check your passport expiry date before booking your holiday - if it has expired and you have a holiday booked, you would need to get to your nearest pasport office who can reissue you one.

• If the passport expires within six months from your departure then you will need to renew it.

• Children under the age of 16 now need to have their own passport which is only valid for five years

• A passport can take up to three weeks depending on the service you choose, although a day service is also available at a rather hefty charge

• Report any lost or stolen passports to the police and to the British Embassy of the country you are in, and prevent this by keeping it close to you at all times or keeping it in the hotel safe. Photocopy your passport before you go and keep this with you, just in case it does get lost or stolen.

Did you know?

That gradually through 2007 the Identity and Passport Service have been introducing passport interviews for those who applying for an adult passport for the first time. You only need to be interviewed if you are contacted by the Identity and Passport Service.

Young people who are aged 16 or 17 will be able to apply for a passport without their parents consent with effect from 10 December 2007.

For more information on applying or renewing your passport visit the Identity and Passport Service website: http://www.ips.gov.uk/