Booking a holiday is exciting, but it can get stressful if you don't have the correct travel documents.
You'll more than likely know that passports have changed since the UK left the European Union (EU), but you might wonder if your old red passport can still be used for travel.
As with anything concerning your passport, you must check that it's fine to use before you arrive at the airport.
Knowing that your travel documents are correct in advance of your trip can help keep the process smooth and allow you to relax and look forward to your holiday.
UK passports are now a deep blue in colour and issued by His Majesty's Passport Office following King Charles III's coronation.
However, can the older red ones still be used?
If you're going on holiday and are worried that your burgundy passport isn't accepted anymore, there's no need to worry.
Red passports are still allowed to be used in 2026 if they remain valid for travel, so you'll need to check the expiry date and the rules regarding how much time you should have left on your passport to travel to your chosen destination.
If your passport still has 'European Union' on the cover, you can still use it, but only if "it's valid for travel", according to the Government website .
You'll probably find that when it's time to renew your passport next, you'll be given a blue one, but you don't need to renew your passport unless yours has expired or it doesn't have enough time left on it for travel.
You must also make sure your passport hasn't been damaged for it to remain valid.
British passports issued from December 2025 will look different.
On X, His Majesty's Passport Office explained: "British passports will start to feature His Majesty King Charles III's Coat of Arms and new images of iconic UK landscapes.
"The new design includes world-leading security features - making our passports more secure than ever."
If your passport needs to be renewed, you can apply for a new one either by post or online.
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Renewing passports online is cheaper than filling out paper forms and sending them off via the post.
To renew your passport, you'll need to find your old one and any passports you might have from another country.
If you have a passport from another country, you'll need to send either photocopies of each page, including blank ones, or send the physical passport.