United Kingdom – British travelers heading to Scandinavia this summer face the risk of being turned away at the airport gate due to inconsistencies in how Schengen area passport rules are applied by Nordic authorities and airlines. The issue has exposed a legal grey zone in border enforcement and raised concerns over the rights of UK citizens post-Brexit.
The situation came to light after a British artist was denied boarding by Norwegian Air at Gatwick Airport while en route to Denmark, despite holding a valid passport that met both official UK and Danish criteria. Her passport, issued in June 2015 and expiring in August 2025, was deemed invalid by the airline because it was more than nine years and nine months old.
“I was told I would not be allowed into Denmark, even though my passport met the entry requirements,” she told The Guardian. “The staff misunderstood the rules, and there was no way to appeal on the spot.” She later had to make an emergency trip to Glasgow for a one-day passport service before continuing to Copenhagen, missing two full days of the film festival she was due to attend.
Under Schengen regulations, passports must be less than 10 years old on the date of entry and valid for at least three months after the departure date. However, due to previous UK policy allowing up to nine months to be carried over from an old passport to a new one, many British passports now present complications that European authorities are reluctant to recognize.
Authorities in Copenhagen confirmed that once a passport exceeds nine years and nine months from its issue date, it is considered invalid—effectively contradicting the interpretation provided by both the UK government and some EU countries. This strict application has led to travelers being turned away and even deported, such as a British tourist in Norway earlier this year.
Airlines are held accountable for checking passenger compliance with destination rules and face fines if someone is rejected at the border. Norwegian Air stated it regrets the disruption caused by the inconsistent interpretation and has called for urgent guidance from Nordic authorities to harmonize enforcement.
As legal appeals continue and diplomatic clarity remains elusive, the episode underscores the fragility of post-Brexit mobility and the risks faced by individuals caught between bureaucratic systems. The Danish Immigration Appeals Board has yet to overturn any related cases.
