South African passport holder living in the UK returning from holiday with soon to expire passport but with indefinate leave to remain
We are due to travel to Cape Town on the 11th Feb and return 26th Feb.
Our South African Passport expires on the 8th March but we have indefinite leave to remain.
Can we still re-enter UK even though we will have less than 30 days on our passport.
Added from what was posted as an answer: We applied for new South African passports on the 24th October but these have still not arrived.
Best Answer
To decide whether passengers have adequate documents to be admitted to their destination country, airlines use a database called TIMATIC. This is part of what it says about a South African passport holder who is resident in the UK flying from South Africa to the UK:
Passport
Passport required.
Document Validity:
Passports and other documents accepted for entry issued to residents of the United Kingdom must be valid on arrival.
Since you will be arriving before your passport expires, there should be no problem.
It goes on to list several requirements for residence permits to be accepted. I presume you meet one of these, but for the sake of thoroughness, I will list them so you can decide for yourself:
Visa Exemptions:
Passengers with a biometric residence permit (with an electronic chip symbol) issued by the United Kingdom if:
- the last permission (leave) to enter or remain in the United Kingdom was given for a period of more than six months ; or
- the last permission reads: "Given leave to enter to complete previous leave Section 3(3)(b)" ; or
- passenger is a permanent resident of the United Kingdom returning within two years ; or
- passenger has a passport with a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode issued by the United Kingdom.
•The two year restriction does not apply to accompanying spouses and children of military personnel returning to the United Kingdom.
Passengers with an EEA Family Residence Card issued by the United Kingdom.
Passengers with an EEA Family Permit issued by the United Kingdom if the holder is traveling with, or to join the EEA or Swiss national.
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Can I stay in the UK if my passport expires?
Travel to and from the UKYou can use the valid visa in your expired passport when you're travelling to and from the UK. You'll need to travel with your expired and your new passport.Can you lose indefinite leave to remain in UK?
If you were away for more than 2 years (Returning Resident visa) You lose your indefinite leave to remain if you've been outside the UK for 2 or more continuous years. You may be able to re-enter the UK and get indefinite leave to remain by applying for a Returning Resident visa.Do I need to renew indefinite leave to remain?
Indefinite leave to remain lawyers advise that your indefinite leave to remain status won't expire \u2013 it is yours for life. However, whilst your indefinite leave to remain status won't end by passage of time there are some limited circumstances in which you could lose your indefinite leave to remain status.Can I return to UK with expired passport?
Re: Can I travel back to the UK with an expired Passport? No. If your passport has expired, you don't have a passport, just an entitlement to one.Visa Free Countries For UK Residents |International Student| African Passport Holders
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