Couple left £3,500 out of pocket as little-known EU rule blocks them from cruise

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A retired couple from Devon were left upset and £3,500 out of pocket after they were blocked from boarding a luxury cruise due to a little-known EU passport rule.

Andrew and Sandra Sutherland had splashed out £3,500 for a 12-day holiday around Spain and Portugal aboard Cunard's Queen Victoria. However when they arrived for their dream holiday, Sandra was told she would not be allowed to board.

Although her passport still had seven months left, the issue date on her document fell foul of new rules in place since Brexit, which require UK passport holders visiting Europe to have a passport issued within the last 10 years, reports DevonLive.

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Andrew, a retired teacher, explained: "We went to check in as we always do and we were dragged off to the side and my wife was told she couldn't travel because it had an invalid issue date – despite the expiry date being in another seven months. We didn't have a clue about this rule. I was so upset and my wife couldn't stop crying in the terminal with everyone looking at her and we then had to wait for staff to unload our bags from the boat."

The couple tried to request compensation from Hays Travel, through whom they booked, and the cruise line Cunard but were unsuccessful. Cunard also reportedly rejected a request to transfer the couple's money towards a future cruise. Andrew added: "What makes me cross is I put my wife's passport details onto the Cunard website but the system does not flag up there is a problem; it only flags up the expiry date."

He claimed that an email sent by Cunard before their cruise had a section about passports and the length of validity you'd need when you return home, but alleged that "there is no mention of the issue date on a passport".

A spokesperson for Hays Travel said: "While we can understand Mr and Mrs Sutherland's disappointment at not being able to travel, we make it clear to our customers that they are responsible for specific passport and visa requirements, and this is set out in our terms and conditions."

"We always advise customers to check their passport will be valid for travel and if not to renew at the earliest opportunity."

In an email sent to Andrew from Cunard's customer services team, he was told: "I am sorry to hear that you are unable to join your voyage. Unfortunately, with the UK having now withdrawn from the European Union, countries within the EU will not accept the extensions on some existing UK passports and they consider a passport only to be valid for 10 years from the date of issue."

"This information is available in the booking conditions and frequently asked questions sections of our website. Unfortunately, where the responsibility lies with our guests to ensure they have adequate validity on their passport we would not be able to transfer the funds from this voyage to any upcoming bookings."

* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up Daily Star's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]

• Brexit
• Cruises

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