A British tourist has been "expelled" from Norway in the latest in a string of bizarre border control mix-ups over passport rules.
The Scandinavian country is deporting British travellers despite them having valid passports - with Norwegian authorities wrongly applying non-existent rules about Europe's Schengen Area.
In February 2025, a British passenger arrived at Oslo Airport for a one-week holiday with a passport valid until November 2025.
Despite being legally entitled to remain in Norway until late June, police at the airport incorrectly claimed the passport had insufficient validity.
Norway and Denmark have both been deporting British travellers - despite them having valid passports (file photo)
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The traveller was detained and then expelled from Norway, with officials wrongly asserting the passport was "considered valid only until March 26 2025".
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.
They must also have been issued within the previous 10 years on the day of entry.
The EU's Practical Handbook for Border Guards explicitly states these conditions are independent of each other - meaning a passport remains valid for travel even on its 10th birthday.
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In one case, a British tourist who arrived in Oslo (pictured) for a one-week holiday was detained and then expelled
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The issue came to light when The Independent newspaper began investigating cases where passengers were wrongly turned away from Norwegian flights.
One, on March 31, saw flyer Rachel Bolger denied boarding at London Gatwick for her flight to Bergen.
"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.
And it's not just the Norwegians - Denmark's police have made similar mistakes, with a deputy chief superintendent wrongly claiming British passports "must not be older than nine years and nine months", despite this having never been the case under Schengen rules.
Low-cost airline Norwegian admitted 'local border control directives... are currently unclear'
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And passengers subjected to the wrongful rulings have been left in legal limbo.
Normally, passengers could claim compensation for flight disruption, but when a nation applies non-existent rules to deny boarding or deport visitors, airlines cannot be held responsible.
A spokesman for Norwegian airline 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."
