Adiós!

Beth Turbutt-Rogers, a British woman, had to abandon her husband at an unnamed airport because his passport didn’t comply with new travel guidelines.

“They told us his passport had expired, even though the expiration date was March 2025, meaning there were eight months left,” Turbutt-Rogers said online.

In the one-minute TikTok, with over 2.9 million views, the wife and mother of two explained how the family had to navigate the unexpected scenario.

“I had to fly with a 3- and 4-year-old on my own. Flying without Matt was like flying without my right arm,” she added.

Upon arriving at the airport, the family of four felt prepared for their voyage to Spain on Ryanair Airlines since “nothing flagged up.” They checked in online, confirmed their passport information and dropped off their bags.

However, once the airline crew checked passports in person, Turbutt-Rogers received the bad news.

“Ryanair refused to let him travel,” she revealed.

Since Matt’s UK passport was issued in June 2014, it technically expired in June 2024 under the new legislation. 

When Britain officially left the European Union in 2020, guidelines around passports changed, but some people failed to notice.

The majority of EU countries no longer accept British passports that were issued more than 10 years before the date of travel, according to the BBC.

If your passport was issued after 2018, it’s valid for 10 years, but if a United Kingdom passport was issued before September 2018, it could be valid for up to 10 years and nine months.

Matt’s extension was no longer valid, which derailed his travel plans.

Passports must be issued fewer than 10 years before the day you enter an EU zone and must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave. 

The family was devastated by the news but proceeded with their vacation, even if it meant leaving her husband behind.

“I cannot say Ryanair were the most accommodating either. I was clearly anxious about traveling with them, and they wouldn’t even check in an extra cabin bag for us to save me from having to drag extra bags around whilst watching two kids on my own,” she complained.

Although Turbutt-Rogers had her hands full during the flight, her load got lighter once she landed in Spain. Her in-laws flew into the country beforehand, so they were able to help once she landed.

“He’s the one who makes sure we’re at the right place at the right time and does all the grown-up stuff while I watch after the kids,” she said of her husband.

Luckily, the vacation didn’t go utterly sour because Matt booked a flight with Jet2 to Spain the next day since the airline still honors the extended period printed on the passport. 

Many TikTokers online were perplexed by the passport mishap.

One person asked, “So you’re paying for 10 years but only getting nine years and four months?”

“What’s the point of them giving us these expiry dates then,” added another.

“What does jet2 allow it and Ryanair doesn’t? One of them is doing something wrong,” wrote a viewer.

When reached for comment by The Post, a Ryanair representative tersely responded: “We operate 3,600 flights a day carrying over 600K passengers. For the teams to look into media queries we would need the detail (i.e., booking reference, flight number and date, etc.) if we were to provide comment.”

The Post also reached out to Jet2 for a statement.

Meanwhile, some people don’t understand how the couple wasn’t aware of the new guidelines.

“I’m more shocked you didn’t know that,” admitted a watcher.

“That’s been well advertised and discussed since Brexit people never listen,” commented a Tiktoker.

“This is common knowledge,” added another.