Travelers, take note and mark your calendars.
Kate Flannery, who runs @kateflan on TikTok, explained how her family trip to Greece quickly ended before it even got started.
“When the trip to Greece you’ve been planning the whole year suddenly can’t happen because your passports that expire in October aren’t legal to travel with,” the TikTok video with 3.9 million views read.
The seven-second clip, posted on Aug. 18, shows the somber family members sitting around a table with their luggage, pondering how they could have made such a huge mistake.
“Now you’re just sitting here in the airport stranded with no car, trying to get the money back from the four hotels, seven ferries, two planes and ten nights of reservations,” the text continued.
Unfortunately, the Flannery family missed the passport memo by prioritizing their Greece trip itinerary instead.
“Entry into Greece or any of the other European countries in the Schengen area for short-term tourism, a business trip, or in transit to a non-Schengen destination requires that the passport be valid for at least three months beyond the intended date of departure,” the US Embassy explained.
The documentation mishap left many TikTokers confused over the hidden policy.
“What’s the point of the expiration date if it secretly expires before then?” questioned one person.
“It doesn’t make sense. Like, I know it’s real, but why have that expiration if you can’t travel six months before?” asked another.
“This happened to me! I stayed up all night and went to passport office at 3 a.m. to get my passport same day and ended up making my flight the next day,” shared a watcher.
Meanwhile, some experienced travelers claim that passport expiration is common knowledge and a lesson well learned for the family.
“AWAYS look up entry requirements for international travel!” declared one person.
“To not know this before doing all your planning is totally on you,” added a snarky woman. “What a good lesson though.”
In a follow-up video, the TikToker confessed their family had made a detour to somewhere their passport would be accepted: Mexico.
She captioned the clip, #hatersgonnahate.
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