Ryanair travel rules for Brits visiting Spain, Greece, France or Portugal this summer

Each summer, thousands of Brits board Ryanair flights seeking sun and surf in nearby countries. While many travellers are determined as ever to enjoy a European holiday, there are a few travel rules that should be kept top of mind to ensure a smooth journey.

Ryanair has outlined the travel dos and don'ts for holiday hotspots like France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece. Under the travel documents portion of its FAQs, Ryanair reminds passengers: “There are different rules for different destinations, so please be sure to check these before you travel.

“To streamline your travel experience and maintain a record of the necessary visa documentation, we are introducing an optional feature to upload the required visa documentation during the check-in process via our app. This will demonstrate that you carried the correct documents at the time of departure, to avoid fines or criminal penalties for travelling without the required documents.”

Ryanair confirmed on its website that: “depending on your nationality and flight destination, a visa may be required to travel.” That said, according to the UK government’s latest guidance, those with a full British citizen passport from the UK can travel without a visa to the Schengen area, which includes Spain, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

When it comes to travel to Greece, Ryanair’s statement about visas still applies - it depends on your nationality and flight destination. But given that Greece is also part of the Schengen area, those with a full British passport will also be able to travel without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

That said, even if you are visiting multiple countries, the UK government website advises that: “your total stay in the Schengen area must be no more than 90 days in every 180 days.

“It does not matter how many countries you visit. The 180-day period keeps ‘rolling’,” the website confirms. Additionally, if you are considering adding on a trip to Cyprus on your Greece journey, remember that Cyprus is not in the Schengen area.

That said, the UK government confirms that British passport holders can stay up to 90 days in a 180-day period in Cyprus without a visa. More importantly, any time you spend in the Schengen area does not affect the number of days you can spend in Cyprus.

France, also being part of the Schengen region, does not require British passport holders to travel with a visa for stays under 90 days. Though keep in mind that non-EU passport holders travelling to the Schengen area are obliged to ensure that their passport is valid for at least 3 months from the date of their departure from the Schengen member country, according to the UK government website. Though this requirement does not apply to holders of a Schengen issued residence permit or long-term visas.

The ‘date of issue’ on your passport must also be less than 10 years before the date you arrive. These three-month and 10-year rules apply for all travel to the Schengen area.

Those flying to Portugal this summer via Ryanair are reminded again that entry is permitted for a maximum stay of 90 days in a 180-day period without a visa.

Portugal follows Schengen area rules. Your passport must have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive and have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area (the expiry date does not need to be within 10 years of the date of issue).

1. Check the date you plan to leave the Schengen area on your next trip.
2. Count back 180 days from that date to get the start of the 180-day period.
3. Add up the number of days you have already spent in the Schengen area in that 180-day period (you can use the dates stamped in your passport showing when you entered and left a country).
4. Work out how many days you will spend in the Schengen area on your next trip. Add this number to the number of days you worked out in step 3.
5. Check that the total number of days is not more than 90.