Home › Passport problems › Denied boarding with a valid passport

Denied boarding with a valid passport

Checked against GOV.UK on 9 October 2026

Quick answerAirlines can refuse you if your travel documents really are inadequate, and then no compensation is due. But if your passport met the rules and staff applied them wrongly, you may be entitled to UK denied boarding compensation of £220, £350 or £520 (depending on flight distance), plus a refund or a new flight, and help with meals and hotels. Complain to the airline first, then to its dispute body.

⏱️ At the gate now? Calmly ask for a supervisor, show them the GOV.UK entry requirements for your destination, and ask for the reason for refusal in writing.

What to do now

Check the rule on GOV.UK for your destination (and use our checker) so you can show exactly why your passport is valid. Airline staff sometimes apply rules that don't exist, such as "9 years and 9 months".
Ask for a supervisor and ask them to check the GOV.UK entry requirements page with you.
If they still refuse, ask for the reason in writing, and note names, times and what was said. Take a photo of your passport's data page and keep all receipts.
If you have to, book another way to get there and keep the costs: you may be able to claim them back.
Complain to the airline in writing, asking for denied boarding compensation, a refund or rerouting costs, and expenses.
If the airline says no, or hasn't replied within 8 weeks, take it to the airline's approved dispute resolution body, or to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team.

Not sure if your passport is valid for your trip? Check it against your destination's rule in seconds — 227 destinations covered.

Check my passport

When an airline is allowed to refuse you

UK law (UK261) lets an airline refuse boarding where there are "reasonable grounds", including "inadequate travel documentation". The Civil Aviation Authority says it is reasonable to deny boarding if a passenger "does not have a valid passport or, where required, the correct paperwork". If your passport really didn't meet the destination's rules, for example it was issued more than 10 years before you arrive in the Schengen area, no compensation is due.

But the airline's view isn't automatically final. In a 2020 ruling made while the UK followed EU law (Blue Air, case C-584/18), the EU Court of Justice said a refusal for allegedly inadequate documents doesn't in itself remove a passenger's protection, and that it's for a court, not the airline, to decide whether the refusal was reasonably justified.

Compensation if you were wrongly refused

Flight distance	Compensation	If rerouted and you arrive only a little late
1,500 km or less	£220	£110 (if less than 2 hours late)
1,500 km to 3,500 km	£350	£175 (if less than 3 hours late)
Over 3,500 km	£520	£260 (if less than 4 hours late)

You are also entitled to a choice of a refund or an alternative flight, and to care while you wait (meals and refreshments, and a hotel if you need one).

It does happen: recent examples

June 2025, Glasgow: easyJet staff told a passenger flying to Paris she needed "three months before the 10 years". easyJet later refunded £1,975 in flight and hotel costs and paid £220 compensation (reported by The Independent).
September 2025, Heathrow: British Airways staff applied a non-existent "9 years and 9 months" rule to a couple flying to Palma. BA admitted "an error by one of our colleagues meant they were incorrectly denied travel" and paid compensation plus expenses (reported by The Independent).

How to complain

Write to the airline first. Keep copies of everything.
If the airline rejects your claim, or hasn't replied within 8 weeks, you can use its approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body. It's free and the airline must follow the decision. AviationADR covers airlines including easyJet, Ryanair, TUI, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air; CEDR covers British Airways.
Apply to ADR within 12 months of the airline's final response. The incident must be within the last 6 years (5 in Scotland).
If your airline isn't in an ADR scheme (Jet2, for example, isn't on the CAA's list), use the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT). PACT can't force an airline to pay, but ADR bodies and courts can.
You can also claim through the small claims court (in England and Wales, within 6 years).

Will travel insurance pay?

Usually not. Many policies exclude cancellations caused by passport or visa problems, and Financial Ombudsman decisions have upheld this even where the airline was wrong to refuse. If you were wrongly denied boarding, your claim is against the airline.

Frequently asked questions

Can an airline refuse to let me fly if my passport is valid?

It shouldn't. Airlines can refuse passengers with inadequate travel documents, but if your passport met your destination's rules and staff got it wrong, you may be entitled to denied boarding compensation, a refund or alternative flight, and expenses.

How much compensation can I get for being wrongly denied boarding?

Under UK261, £220 for flights of 1,500 km or less, £350 for 1,500 to 3,500 km, and £520 for longer flights. It can be halved if the airline reroutes you and you arrive only a little late.

Is there a "9 years and 9 months" passport rule?

No. For the Schengen area, GOV.UK says your passport must be issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive and expire at least 3 months after the day you leave.

Does travel insurance cover being denied boarding because of my passport?

Usually not. Most policies exclude passport and visa problems. If the airline refused you wrongly, claim from the airline.

Official sources

UK Passport Checker is an independent guide and is not part of HM Passport Office. Always apply through GOV.UK.