🚨 Essential Travel Updates: Passports, Real ID, and Europe’s New Entry Rules! ✈️

Are your travel documents up to date? In this episode of All Things Travel, we’re covering the must-know updates for 2025, so you don’t get caught off guard before your next trip!

🔹 Passport Renewals – Learn about the new online renewal system and eligibility requirements.
🔹 Real ID Deadline – What you need to fly domestically in the U.S. by May 7, 2025.
🔹 UK & EU Entry Rules – Find out about the UK’s new ETA requirement and the upcoming ETIAS for Europe.

📅 This information is accurate as of March 2025. Be sure to check official sources before traveling.

💡 Thinking about your next vacation? Let us help! Visit AllThingsTravelPodcast.com to plan your perfect trip.

📍 Listener Feature: Shoutout to Gainesville, FL! Did you know it’s home to the world’s largest bat houses?

🎧 Tune in now and get travel-ready like a pro!

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Transcript

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 1:31

and welcome to All Things Travel. Are you a traveler who likes to have all the details planned when you're going on a trip? Are your I's always dotted and your T's always crossed? Well, today we're going to share all the details you need to know about passport renewals, real IDs, and European and Great Britain entry requirements so you can be ready to go like a pro.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 1:54

Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts Ryan and Julie. He is your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation and I'm a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel.

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 2:19

All right, Julie, so I feel like we're doing an episode on eating your vegetables. these are not the super sexy travel topics, but these are the things you really have to know to not have a major problem on your trip, right?

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 2:34

I agree, and a lot of this stuff has been changing recently, new requirements, new dates to follow things by. So I feel like that's why we were like, we should probably do an episode on this and kind of update everyone at the same time about what's going on.

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 2:47

Yes. I'll say this several times throughout the episode. This is coming out early March of 2025, and we are using the information that we have right now. the three topics we're going to discuss, my guess is there will be changes. use this podcast as a guide, I will provide the websites that we're going to reference in the show notes and make sure that you're up to date on everything. But before we do that, are you thinking of planning a honeymoon? Well, if so, you need to check out last week's episode where Julie and I talk about both international and domestic locations for honeymoons. All right, Julie. So let's talk about passports, specifically the new online renewal for passports, because this is a pretty slick option. Which used to be kind of an arduous task of making sure that your passports were renewed I know we have listeners from all around the world But a lot of the information today is going to be for our united states listeners the u. s department of state launched a new online passport renewal system, 2024 It's for eligible U. S. citizens that can now renew their passports through a secure online process so you don't have to do a paper, application. my girlfriend actually did this, last fall and it was awesome. She filled it out online. We went to, get her picture taken. She scanned that, uploaded it. I think she got her new passport in less than like three weeks. It was really smooth.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 4:22

So she didn't even have to mail in her current passport?

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 4:27

actually, no, she didn't. her old passport is invalid. her new one is the valid passport. So who is eligible if you are 25 years of age or older, if you have a passport issued between 2009 and 2015, that it's over nine years old, but less than 15 years from the application date. If you're not changing any personal information like your name, your date of birth, your place of birth, if you're currently living in the United States, And if you are processing your most recent passport and there is no damage or a report of it being lost or stolen. So basically if you're in good standing, with your passport, you are all set. for the online renewal process, you just have to create an account, upload a digital photo, and then you can pay with a credit card or debit card and it's just that easy.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 5:19

That sounds great.

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 5:21

The online system is designed to basically take out that longer processing time you can usually get in about a month or so Obviously you still want to make sure that you apply for it in good enough time so that you can get it before your trip

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 5:39

so what about real ID, Ryan? Like, what is

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 5:42

Okay

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 5:42

is Real ID and when do we need it by?

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 5:45

Okay, so the real id well, it depends because we've been talking about the real id for a long time. Haven't we in travel?

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 5:52

I feel like years ago, I was like, you need it by October 1st, and I

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 5:55

Yeah, so

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 5:56

was.

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 5:57

the Real ID enforcement has been extended multiple times, but they are saying now, May 7th, 2025, to travel, and when I say travel, I'm talking about flying, you need to have a Real ID. We think mostly about driver's license. but your passport actually serves as a real ID. it's either your driver's license. Your U. S. passport, your DHS trusted advisor cards. like your global entry or nexus card if you're used to traveling across the borders, there are some other TSA approved forms, which I'm sure if you have one of those for your job you know what that is. So real IDs can be obtained if you are thinking of the driver's license at the motor, vehicle department, your DMV, just know that you will need to have some more documentation of your identity, your residency, your legal status. So making sure you check on that before you go, it's a little more involved than just going and renewing your driver's license.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 6:59

Right, so essentially, if you have not gone in recently, in the past couple of years to renew your license and get a Real ID, need to go make your way to renew your license and bring these extra documents.

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 7:13

Yes. So check your state, secretary of state, cause you know, it will be different based on your state as far as what they will, take, but the, the key here is if you are getting ready for spring break travel, if you're getting ready for summer travel, The real ID is happening, so we need to make sure that we have it. And just to remind people, you can always fly with your passport as your form of ID. You do not have to use your driver's license. All right, Julie, before we talk about the United Kingdom and EU requirements for entry, I want to talk about where in the world does all things travel? So a new location that showed up this week for us was Gainesville, Florida. obviously we know Gainesville from the University of Florida, but they have something there very cool. I think you would love to see Julie.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 8:04

What is it?

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 8:06

the University of Florida bat houses are the world's largest occupied bat houses with an estimated population of half a million.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 8:15

What makes you think I would want to go see a

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 8:17

Ha ha ha.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 8:20

You were like,

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 8:20

So the, so you can go and see the bats normally emerge 10 to 15 minutes after sunset before total darkness, when temperatures are 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher on warm winter evenings, the bats may come out for a drink of water at the lake and exercise and also eat bugs. And don't worry, there's free parking.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 8:46

I am so glad we don't record video.

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 8:49

So the largest bat houses in the world at the University of Florida and who knows maybe our listener works there I am excited that we're getting some listeners from Gainesville, Florida Hey, if you have been to the world's largest bat houses, Julie wants some pictures, but seriously reach out to us You can do that via email You can do that on our website, all things, travel podcast. com. And I would love to send a little, thank you down to Gainesville for being featured on the show today. All right, Julie. So this is a new one that's coming up and I have clients that are traveling to both the United Kingdom and the European union this summer. So we are looking into these newer requirements, right? So starting January 8th of this year in 2025, U. S. citizens will need an electronic travel authorization or an ETA to enter or transit through the United Kingdom. The ETA will cost about 10 pounds or approximately 13 and are valid for multiple entries over a two year period or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. if you're going to be traveling through or to several times, this is good for that. One word of warning. Be careful. I was working with a client this past week that wanted to have information about it. I was looking through it. I sent them a link, For getting their ETA. And then I looked at some other information. I said, stop, do not fill that out. It was a third party host that was charging people 85 pounds to facilitate their ETA, so be careful. The ETAs cost around 10 pounds, so just make sure you're going through the actual UK government, I'll put that link on the show notes. this is something that is very new and could easily change, so make sure you're looking at the up to date information.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 10:43

when you say transit through, does that mean even if you have a layover?

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 10:47

If you are going through a UK airport and you are not leaving the customs area literally going from one flight to another you do not need the electronic travel authorization

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 11:03

so what about you have a long layover and you want to go walk around?

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 11:09

Yes, then you will yep But again, it's 10 pounds. It doesn't take long to get so If you're doing that then it's worth your time to get that authorization

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 11:20

can we clarify what countries are requiring this? the UK, right?

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 11:25

yeah, so it's any country within the United Kingdom.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 11:29

Which are

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 11:30

that would be Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and that would be Wales. So for travel to the European Union, a new system called the European travel information and authorization system is going to be implemented mid 2025. So my folks who are traveling this summer, I'm sorry I'm staying on top of it, but we're just not sure u. s. Citizens and other visa exempt travelers will need to obtain An etias authorization before entering any of the 30 participating european countries This authorization will be valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever is first So, like I said, that's the moving target here, because we're still not sure when that's going to be, a requirement. We just know mid 2025. what are these systems for? Well, they're for border security, just like we do here in the United States. We have different requirements for border security. And it's also to streamline the entry process for short term stays, which for the EU and the UK is up to 90 days in an 180 day period and up to six months in the UK. basically think of it as a way to show that you're going to be in the country for a short amount of time. that includes most vacations. You should apply for these authorizations well in advance of your planned trips to avoid any issues. But everything that I'm seeing, this seems like a very straightforward, easy process. I wouldn't add it to the stress list. I would just add it to the to do list.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 13:10

And, we've seen things like that with a lot of Caribbean travel, right? When

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 13:15

Yes.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 13:16

Republic, you fill something out. When

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 13:18

Yes.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 13:19

you fill something out. it's just, this is the new way the EU wants to do it.

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 13:24

Yeah, absolutely. And I'll just end with another reminder. That this show is coming out at the beginning of March in 2025. So that's the information that we have. And I will put the applicable websites to the, three different issues that we're talking about here in the show notes, so you can get the most up to date information.

j_1_02-16-2025_200258: 13:44

you want to plan a trip to an amazing destination, but don't know how to get started your travel advisors. We work with you to create a customized itinerary for your vacation and take the stress of planning away. So you can focus on the fun and creating memories. You can reach out to us at allthingstravelpodcast. com and click the contact us section.

ryan_2_02-16-2025_200258: 14:05

We look forward to talking to you next week on all things travel.