A British tourist has been “expelled” from Norway after a border control mix-up over passport rules.
A UK tourist has been EXPELLED from Norway after a passport error which has seen the European Union holiday hotspot come down hard on him. A British tourist has been “expelled” from Norway after a border control mix-up over passport rules.
Norwegian authorities wrongly applyied non-existent rules about Europe’s Schengen Area. In February 2025, the UK holidaymaker arrived at Oslo Airport for a one-week holiday with a passport valid until November 2025.
The traveller was detained and then expelled from Norway, with officials wrongly asserting the passport was “considered valid only until March 26 2025”.
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The Schengen Borders Code requires passports for “third-country nationals” like British citizens to be valid for at least three months after the intended departure date. A spokesman for Norwegian Airlines said: “We regret the disruption to our passengers due to inconsistent interpretation of Schengen passport rules by the Nordic countries.
“As an airline, we must comply with local border control directives, which are currently unclear. We have urged the authorities to provide clear, unified guidance.” A second, Rachel Bolger, was denied boarding at London Gatwick for her flight to Bergen, the Independent reported.
“We had checked in our bags and had our passports checked. When we got to the departure gate, a very stern lady told me I could not travel as my passport was invalid,” she said.
Bolger’s passport entitled her to enter Norway until mid-June 2025, but gate staff claimed the expiry date was “irrelevant” and that it expired exactly 10 years from issue.
The Norwegian authorities deported the British traveller, saying: “Your planned departure from Norway and the Schengen area is 1 March 2025, and the passport is not valid for three months after the date of departure as the border regulation demands.
“You are therefore expelled from Norway.” Ms Bolger said: “We tried to reason with her, she implied we were stupid for not knowing the rules. She called a supervisor who told her she was correct – even though her colleague adjacent tried to query it.
“She quickly and unsympathetically had our bags removed from the plane and we were escorted back through the airport.”