As thoughts turn to booking holidays for the year ahead, Island residents are being urged to take early action to avoid the worry and cost of ‘passport panic’.

Nina Matthews of the Isle of Man Passport Office said: ‘Often when people are planning holidays they forget to check that their passport is still valid – or even if they know where it is!

‘We are encouraging everyone to find and check their passports now. Spending some time today checking that your passport is valid and in good condition could prevent unnecessary expense and worry for you later on.’

February represents the start of the busy period for the Passport Office in terms of handling passport applications and renewals. Every effort is made to issue passports as quickly as possible, but at peak periods waiting times can extend beyond 35 days for the standard service.

Anybody who needs to renew their passport urgently can take advantage of a five working days service, but this currently costs ?103 compared to ?72.50 for the standard service.

Some countries require passport holders to meet certain entry requirements, which can include a six month period of validity remaining on a passport. Nina Mathews advised that people do not have to wait until their passport expires to renew them; this can be done at any time and up to nine months validity can be carried over from the old passport to the new one.

First time applicants are reminded they may be required to attend the Passport Office for an interview. Where an interview is required applicants may not be able to use the five working days service.

Further information can be found at www.gov.im/passports and the Passport Office can be contacted on 01624 685208 or passport@cso.gov.im.  

Travel advice from the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office can be found on their website: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice