A British mother, deeply traumatized, expressed her outrage after Gatwick Airport staff failed to notice that her son’s passport had expired. As a result, her family was detained and treated “like criminals” upon arrival in Turkey, leading to the loss of their £6,000 holiday.
A “traumatized” mother, Amber Maherloughnan from Lewes, East Sussex, recounted how her family was treated “like criminals” in Turkey after arriving with an expired passport. The family had traveled from London Gatwick to Antalya for a week-long £6,000 holiday in August. Maherloughnan, 28, was “shocked” to discover upon arrival that her six-year-old son Reuben’s passport was nearly four months out of date.
The “terrified” mother, Amber Maherloughnan, claims that their passports were “snatched away” by officials, and they were detained for nearly 24 hours alongside 13 other individuals. She described the conditions as dire, with access only to a “disgusting” toilet and minimal provisions—describing the food as a “rotten tomato and an egg” that was “kicked at them.”
Amber’s fiancé, Will Land-Smith, 31, attempted to obtain a temporary travel document from the Turkish embassy, but this did not guarantee their entry into the country.
Amber was compelled to pay the price for her “silly mistake” as they had to return home the following day, forfeiting their £6,000 holiday. She shared a poignant photo of her son Reuben looking mournfully out of the plane window as they had to cut their trip short.
On social media, Amber urged other parents to check their children’s passports, writing, “Let this be a lesson to all parents: check your kids’ passports.”
Amber, from Lewes, East Sussex, described the ordeal as “horrible,” acknowledging her mistake but expressing her frustration with the treatment she received. She said, “I don’t want pity for myself. It was my fault. But the way I was treated with a child wasn’t fair. That’s what upset me the most.”
Amber detailed how she had not realized her son’s passport had expired, and she only discovered the issue upon arrival in Turkey. The passport had expired on April 16, 2024. She recounted, “I had no idea the whole time it was out of date. It was a very silly mistake.”
At the passport control in Turkey, an officer discovered the expired passport and immediately called the police. Amber said, “I was shocked. I said ‘I’m so sorry, I don’t know what to do.’ I was absolutely terrified.”
Amber and her son were detained for nearly 24 hours, during which they were reportedly treated like criminals. She described the conditions as dire, with little food or water and inadequate facilities. “They treated me like a criminal,” she said. “They took me into an office with four officers and said ‘you’re not allowed into the country, there’s nothing you can do.'”
She continued, “They locked me in a room for 13 hours with minimal food—a rotten tomato and an egg—and gave us only one bottle of water. There was one bed without any bedding, a disgusting floor, and a filthy toilet. I curled up in the corner, trying to keep warm by the radiator.”
Amber expressed her disappointment in being treated so poorly despite being a tourist supporting the country, and she found the whole experience distressing for both her and her son.
Amber revealed that her 31-year-old partner, a fencer, and his six-year-old son had to leave the airport to contact the Turkish embassy in an attempt to secure a temporary travel document. Despite their efforts, the family was forced to return home the following day as there was no guarantee the paperwork would permit entry.
Amber recounted, “I had false hope that we were going to get in, but then we didn’t. I was just counting down the minutes until we would be let out. They told my partner he wasn’t allowed in the airport and had to leave, so he went to the holiday.”
She added, “My partner called the embassy and tried to sort out a temporary document to get my son into the country. They said even if we got a document, we wouldn’t be allowed in. The only flight I could get was the next day at 3pm. They wouldn’t tell me when or where it was.”
Amber described the experience as “awful,” with police officers escorting her to the plane without any food. She expressed her dissatisfaction with the airline, stating, “I would never fly with that airline again. Even on the Turkish plane, I still wasn’t given my passport and was spoken to rudely.”
Reflecting on the ordeal, Amber said, “It’s ruined our whole holiday financially. We had to book a separate, expensive flight home. I’ve been in limbo the whole time, and it’s been quite traumatic and upsetting. I feel like I’ve ruined everything.”
She lamented the loss of the £6,000 spent on the trip and vowed to be “extra careful” in the future, emphasizing, “I will never do that again in my lifetime.”
The UK Government website specifies that when visiting Turkey, your passport must be valid for at least 150 days from the date of arrival. Additionally, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises that visitors should have a passport valid for at least six months from the date of entry into Turkey.
Gatwick Airport has stated that it is the airline’s responsibility to check passports and board passengers, and that the airport itself does not have involvement in this process.
Antalya Airport has directed inquiries to the passport police authorities for comments on such matters.
SunExpress airline, along with the Turkish Police Association and their passport division, were contacted for a response but have not yet provided any comment.
