Friday 28th April 2006
With the football World Cup kicking off on 9 June, it is not only Sven-Goran Eriksson who should be planning ahead for the tournament. English football fans intending to travel to Germany are being warned by the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to apply for or renew their passport in plenty of time, or risk being left back in England.
Supporters can avoid being left sat on the bench in the airport for the tournament. The advice to fans from IPS is to check now that they have their passports and that they are still valid. If they do need to apply for a new passport or a renewal they should apply now, in plenty of time for the first game.
England fans travel in their thousands to support the national side. 80,000 were estimated to have travelled to Portugal for Euro 2004 and approximately 15,000 made the trip to Japan and Korea for the 2002 World Cup. To avoid disappointment, IPS advises allowing plenty of time for passport applications or renewals, so any fans planning to travel in support of David Beckham and his team should check their passports and travel documents are up to date as soon as possible to ensure they don’t miss out on the action.
Home Office Minister Andy Burnham, himself a football fan and a former chair of fans’ organisation Supporters Direct, said:
“With the World Cup only around the corner, football supporters will be counting down the days until the competition kicks off. But if you´re planning to support the team in Germany, it is best to act now to make sure you can get on the plane.
“This is not an occasion where extra-time will be played. If you do not have a valid passport you won’t be able to travel, and the last thing we want is for fans to miss out on the biggest sporting event of the year.
“We are urging all England supporters to check now that their passports are fully up to date and ensure they leave enough time to apply for new documents before travelling.”
For information on the services that IPS provides and to find out more about the passport application process, please visit www.passport.gov.uk or call the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000.
For further information about travelling to Germany for the World Cup tournament please visit the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website following links to the Football World Cup 2006 advice page: www.fco.gov.uk/travel
Notes to editors
1. The Identity and Passport Service was established as an Executive Agency of the Home Office on 1 April 2006. The IPS Mission statement is ‘safeguarding your identity’.
2. Research conduced for the Service in 2003 revealed that:
3. For media enquiries relating to IPS and passports, contact the Home Office Press Office on 020 7035 3535.
4. Further information on IPS and passports is available at www.ips.gov.uk.
24-hour Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (see terms and conditions). Calls made from landline phones are charged at your network provider's national rate, charges for mobile phones may vary depending on your service provider. Live operators are available to assist with your enquiry 24 hours a day.
