Flying UK to Sweden, do I need a passport?

[.Sean]

Update: I'm screwed! £150 wasted on flights! You guys don't have to tell me, I know I'm an idiot.

 

[delta0]

Update: I'm screwed! £150 wasted on flights! You guys don't have to tell me, I know I'm an idiot.

Did you try contacting the passport office?

 

[.Sean]

Yeah. I'd have to go to Glasgow to get a 4 hour passport but it's not possible for me to get there for 9am tomorrow. I thought there might've been a site up here in the Highlands but there isn't.

 

[IronWarrior]

Why is it not possible?

Is it not a simple case of driving there by waking up early?

 

[.Sean]

I don't drive and I live 150 miles away. Earliest a train or bus would get me in at is 10:30.

 

[div0]

Leave tonight, stay in a hotel?

How important is the trip?

 

[Diagro]

get the train? today and stay in a cheap hotel or wander about till 9am

 

[Skillmister]

Chance it with the out of date passport

 

[SoSolid]

Chance it with the out of date passport

This.

 

[.Sean]

I'm half thinking about it but I don't want to get into any trouble.

 

[delta0]

EU to EU countries can be lax. Birth certificate will help a lot with the passport to back up you are from an EU country. I think it is more important that they establish you are a citizen of an EU country rather than if your passport is in date or not. An expired passport could in theory do this. A birth certificate could help.

 

[Dunks]

No they dont, I fly weekly return to Edinburgh from Luton on a drivers licence with no problems at all.

Depends, EasyJet require a passport iirc, but BA don't!

But obviously legally a drivers licence is sufficient

 

[jon86]

You used to be able to fly internally around the UK on a driving licence, but even they insist on a passport now.

It seems to depend on the airline.

I fly to Glasgow from Norwich via Manchester every 8 weeks or so and I fly with FlyBe with just my pink drivers license.

I have flown to/from Luton with EasyJet with just my drivers license before but they may have changed their rules.

 

[csmager]

There's a good Dara O'Brien thing where he does a joke going to an airport with an out of date id and points out that he hasn't actually changed he just hasn't renewed the id.

Could try that line when they are all its out of date... (did manage to waste half an hour looking for the clip too)

 

[ThundyCat]

@op when do you book the flight to Sweden?

 

[semi-pro waster]

It is quite possible it has replaced it, but I travelled to the US recently (Orlando) and had to fill out a form that required my address of stay despite having an ESTA already. I'm going again in January, Orlando and NY. I would know the address regardless as they are likely to ask you at the immigration.

It's certainly wise to know the address of where you are staying (assuming you've got somewhere booked initially) - the first time I went to the US I was staying with a mate and didn't really know where his place was beyond a very general location (I incidentally guessed the wrong area anyway) and I got through immigration fine.

I did have to spend a while chatting to the immigration officer to explain my plans due to the lack of information I could put on the form but I think that a) he was bored and b) he'd realised I had several hours to kill at the stopover in that airport anyway. He mentioned that the reason they ask for the address is that it gives them somewhere to start tracking if you disappear in country - I decided against pointing out how daft this was if the person was coming into the country with the specific intention of committing a crime then they're hardly likely to start by telling you the truth...

@op when do you book the flight to Sweden?

The thread was started a couple of days ago so if he's not there by now it's probably too late for him unfortunately.

 

[Bear]

Depends, EasyJet require a passport iirc, but BA don't!

But obviously legally a drivers licence is sufficient

No I fly by Easyjet. It has to be a photo licence though an old paper one isn't good enough.

 

[Narj]

Seems a good place to ask..

If I'm going to America for 10 days, what do I need to do beforehand?

Booked flights
Booked hotel
Going to arrange transport to/from hotel
I have ESTA approval
Passport in date!

Anything else I need to actually get in there? Flying from the UK

Make sure you take a small bag full of washing powder, along with some candles and an alarm clock in your baggage.

 

[PobodY]

Make sure you take a small bag full of washing powder, along with some candles and an alarm clock in your baggage.

If you don't have any washing powder, I've discovered that cremated remains with the lead ID tags in them also generate a lot of interest... you just need to convince them they don't want to open the bag and taste/test the contents.