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Going to France in May, passport expires in Aug. Do I need to renew?

Going to France in May, passport expires in Aug. Do I need to renew?

Old Apr 20, 2009, 1:46 pm
  #1  
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Going to France in May, passport expires in Aug. Do I need to renew?

Hello all!

I will be traveling to France for ten days departing in mid-May and my passport expires in mid-August. Do I have to renew my passport?


Thanks in advance!
degas is offline  
Old Apr 20, 2009, 2:05 pm
  #2  
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ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: France is party to the Schengen agreement. As such, U.S. citizens may enter France for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa. A passport is required and should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay. Anyone intending to stay more than 90 days must obtain the appropriate visa issued by one of the French Consulates in the U.S., prior to departure for France. This also applies to anyone considering marriage in France.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...y_requirements
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Old Apr 20, 2009, 2:23 pm
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France and the US are both part of the Six Month Club, so you should be fine.
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Old Apr 20, 2009, 2:36 pm
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Originally Posted by soitgoes
France and the US are both part of the Six Month Club, so you should be fine.
Whats the Six Month Club?
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Old Apr 20, 2009, 3:04 pm
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Technically speaking, you should renew before going for the reasons the previous poster mentioned.

That said, I've previously entered EU countries (post 9/11) when my passport was within 6 months of expiration. I didn't know the 6 month rule at the time. The EU country's immigration pointed out the expiration date to me, then stamped me in. Given that you're entering France, speaking French to the immigration officer will help considerably.

It would be safer to renew ahead of time, of course, and two weeks ought to be plenty of time to renew.
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Old Apr 20, 2009, 4:58 pm
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Originally Posted by degas
Whats the Six Month Club?
The sort of weird name given to the list of countries which extend passport validity for an additional six months after expiration.

Info here--

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/...n_04162008.pdf

United States law requires that a travelers passport be valid for six months beyond the last day the traveler intends to be in the U.S. The effect of this law is that a traveler who is traveling on a passport with less than six month validity may find that the period of authorized entry is limited to coincide with the expiration date of his passport.

To address this issue, the United States has agreements with many countries whereby the U.S. considers those countries passports valid for six months beyond their date of expiration. This gives U.S. immigration authorities leeway to authorize a visit that extends beyond the date of expiration, if appropriate.
- All of the countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program except Brunei have this agreement with the U.S.
- Many other countries have agreements as well. See the list of countries.
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/104770.pdf
- If your country of nationality is not on the list, you should be certain that your passport is valid for six months beyond the last day you intend to be in the U.S. If necessary, you may wish to obtain a new passport to address any concerns you may have.

* traveling for business, pleasure or transit only.
* staying in the US for 90 days or less.
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Old Apr 21, 2009, 3:25 am
  #7  
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Moving this thread to the France forum. Thanks for your understanding.

Jouy31
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Old Apr 21, 2009, 6:07 am
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Originally Posted by soitgoes
Thanks for the info on the 6 month club. ^

Never heard of it until today. Glad to know my country is part of the club. I learned something new today on FT! Again!

Originally Posted by degas
I will be traveling to France for ten days departing in mid-May and my passport expires in mid-August. Do I have to renew my passport?
Is there a good reason why you rather not renew your passport now?

I do read it won't expire till Aug and your stay in France is only 10 days. But you never know what may happen that requires a valid passport. You may not have enough time to renew it in June before your next international trip.

Don't know how long it will take to renew your passport right now though. They might not be as backup but 3 weeks might be pushing it.
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Old Apr 21, 2009, 6:14 am
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Originally Posted by degas
I will be traveling to France for ten days departing in mid-May and my passport expires in mid-August. Do I have to renew my passport?
Which passport? All the others assume US passport, but I don't see this mentioned by the OP.
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Old Apr 21, 2009, 2:10 pm
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Originally Posted by wharvey
ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: France is party to the Schengen agreement. As such, U.S. citizens may enter France for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa. A passport is required and should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay. Anyone intending to stay more than 90 days must obtain the appropriate visa issued by one of the French Consulates in the U.S., prior to departure for France. This also applies to anyone considering marriage in France.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...y_requirements
I would renew.
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Old Apr 22, 2009, 2:58 am
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I would renew, even if only for peace of mind and no stickiness at check-in.

Once, a ticket agent didn't want to book for me because one of my children's passports was almost expired. We're U.S. citizens visiting the U.S. so we were fine but don't risk it.
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Old Apr 22, 2009, 10:10 am
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The airline has the right to deny you passage because of the six month rule. You should get it renewed now to play safe.
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Old May 11, 2009, 2:35 pm
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Hi OP, I am in the exact same situation, visiting UK/France in next week and US passport expiring in August. What did you end up doing?
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