A mum was left stranded at an airport while her husband and sons flew off on holiday without her after being caught out by a little-known passport rule.
Bolaji Omisade, 35, arrived at London Gatwick Airport excited for a family trip to Greece when easyJet staff told her she would not be allowed to board.
Her passport had not expired but staff informed her that it had been issued more than 10 years earlier, meaning it did not meet EU entry requirements.
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“Until that moment, I had absolutely no idea this rule existed,” Bolaji, a social worker and content creator from Rainham, Essex, told Whats The Jam.
Under post-Brexit travel rules, UK passports must have been issued less than 10 years before the date of entry into most EU countries, regardless of the expiry date printed inside the document.
Bolaji said she had checked her passport expiry date before travelling but had never heard of the separate issue-date rule.
The devastating discovery came as she stood at check-in with her three sons watching.
She said: “I had to hold back my emotions because my children were watching everything unfold.
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“As a parent, that was one of the hardest parts.
“They were so disappointed.”
With no refund available and departure time approaching, the family faced a painful decision.
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Her husband boarded the flight with their two older boys, while Bolaji returned home with their youngest son.
The situation became even more frustrating when she spotted another traveller being turned away for exactly the same reason.
She said: “That was the moment I realised this wasn’t an isolated incident.”
Determined to salvage the holiday, Bolaji immediately booked an appointment through His Majesty’s Passport Office one-day premium service.
With no suitable appointments available in London because of the bank holiday weekend, she travelled to Newport, Wales, the night before and stayed in a Travelodge ahead of a 9:30am appointment.
After waiting several hours for her new passport to be issued, she travelled back and booked brand-new flights for herself and her youngest son.
The extra costs quickly mounted.
Between the emergency passport, hotel stay, travel expenses and replacement flights, the family ended up spending an additional £700.
Bolaji and her youngest son eventually joined the rest of the family on the Thursday, leaving them with just two days of the holiday before returning home on Saturday.
She has since shared her experience on social media to warn other travellers and encourage airlines and booking platforms to make the rule clearer.
She added: “I believe airlines and booking platforms could do much more to highlight this rule.
“If sharing my story helps even one family avoid being turned away at the airport, then something positive will have come from what was a very upsetting experience.”
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