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Malta’s Passport Advice For British Has Modified

The government of Malta has taken down a website that incorrectly informed British tourists about the requirements for a passport that may be used to enter the country. For many weeks, statements on the website of the Maltese government that were not accurate about the validity of passports after Brexit gave the impression that entering the country was a far more difficult process than it really is.

In order to travel freely inside Europe, a British passport must separately meet all of the following requirements:

be under the age of ten on the day they enter the competition.

It still has more than three months remaining on it beyond the day it was supposed to expire.

However, according to a story in The Independent newspaper, the government of Malta came up with two more guidelines that were intentionally confusing.
The first one said that “travel papers are regarded valid for a maximum of 10 years by all EU immigration officials.” This was a claim made by the European Union.

The second one said that “anyone traveling to Malta on a British passport needs a minimum of six months’ validity beyond the date of their departure from Malta.” This was stated in the second travel warning.

The EU norms are not directly affected in any way by any of these provisions. When taken together, they give the impression that a passport that is more than nine years and six months old would be regarded as invalid, and the bearer of such a passport would be refused entry at the Maltese border.

Even a weird example is provided on the website, which reads as follows: “If your passport was issued on January 1, 2013, the expiration date recognized while crossing the Maltese/Schengen border will be January 1, 2023, regardless of whether your document says a later expiry date.”

“It is essential that the six-month period falls inside the predetermined 10-year validity period rather than beyond it.”

Now, it seems that Malta has realigned its passport policy with the rest of the EU Schengen Area in response to a campaign that was run by The Independent.
On the website of the British Foreign Office, under the heading “admission requirements,” the regulations are stated clearly.

It states that you are required to adhere to the passport criteria of the Schengen Area if you want to go to any nation within the European Union (with the exception of Ireland), as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, or Vatican City.

After that, it specifies the requirements for your passport, which are as follows:

granted no more than ten years prior to the day you want to visit the nation (check the “date of issue”).

Valid for at least three months after the day that you want to depart from the country (check the “expiry date”).

What else do I need to know in order to go to Malta?

If your vacation will be less than ninety days, you do not need a visa to visit Malta or any other Schengen nation.

As a result, the FCDO advises citizens of the United Kingdom to check that their passports have been stamped by the appropriate authorities at customs. “Border guards will conclude that you have overstayed your visa-free limit if your passport does not have relevant entry or departure stamps,” the document states further. “If appropriate entry or exit stamps are absent in your passport.”

Regarding the COVID-19 entry requirements, all vaccinated travelers are permitted to enter Malta so long as they provide their COVID vaccination certification at the port of entry (either in digital or written format). Unvaccinated travelers will be required to produce either a negative PCR test conducted within the last 72 hours or a positive fast antigen test performed within the last 24 hours before arrival.

The evidence of recovery certificate issued by the United Kingdom will not be acknowledged.

These guidelines are not applicable to children less than 12 years old.

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