If you are just transiting somewhere like Singapore then you generally don't need to meet the 6 month rule, it only apples if you enter the country, but do check the rules on the website of the country concerned. Some have different rules - and some are like the US which actually makes you enter the country - you cannot just transit, so need an ESTA and then enter on the VWP (assuming you are eligible)
The only ones I know for 100% sure are Singapore and Dubai though most of the other major transit points from Aus are the same.
And entering the UK, yes your passport just need to be valid on entry when you return.

Thanks my friend. It would be an Asian country or Dubai airport only to transition through (not going near the States!).

When you say the only ones you know for 100% sure are Singapore and Dubai - do you mean they are they countries where it is OK to not have 6 months left or you need the 6 months?

100% sure you don't need 6 months when just transiting...... though I have discovered that the UAE do now say they want 3 months validity just for transit, which is interesting as I've never seen that one mentioned before. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

It will really depend on which country you will be transiting through. If you can give us an itinerary then we can comment appropriately.

Thanks BIP. We don't have an itinerary as of yet, thus was checking "through any airport in the world?". Bit naive of me to think there would be a large brushstroke application to all countries :-)

It'll either be an Asian country or Dubai but I think we'll just renew the passport anyway later this year a few months before it's due to expire so we don't need to think about it at all rather than add it onto the normal stresses of moving.

Renewals seem to be very fast these days so yes, I'd just do it now and then you can forget about it for a while.

And a personal thought - go via Singapore (Changi airport) - its so much more pleasant and civilised than Dubai.

I would make sure you have at least a few months of validity on your passport. You never know what might happen and you end up having to actually enter the country. Freak storm, volcanic ash cloud, whatever, and it would be really crap to be stuck airside in any airport for a few days.

Completely agree! It's a lovely airport. Where we fly through will be dictated by points really, so not sure at this stage.

Very good point Dorothy. We're going to renew before expiry in the next few months.

If you're traveling through Changi why not take a day's stopover and go into the city? I love Singapore! We're actually thinking of doing just that when we go to the UK in August. A few days in either Dubai or Singapore (whoever has the best prices when I book) each way.

It is a lovely place. We had four nights there on the way over in 2017 (and have visited before) but after getting over jet-lag with a very young child we didn't see too much! Was lovely to just relax in the pools and dine on the delicious breakfast buffets. We did visit the Gardens by the Bay which was a lot of fun and a few other small walking trips here and there but have really only party scratched a very small part of the surface.

This time around we'll just be focused on heading over to UK. Will have to be making every "penny a prisoner" so unfortunately no nice stopover for us however maybe a proper full holiday there one day in the very distant future.

Thanks for your advice everyone.