US Passport Expires within 6 Months - Time to Get a New One?
 

My US passport expires on 1/1/12... I have heard that many countries do not allow you to use a passport that is within 6 months of expiration. So is my passport essentially useless 6 months ahead of time?

essentially, yes. Very few countries will allow admission with less than six months validity left.

However, if you were to travel to country X with seven months left they would let you in, you may stay six weeks and return home so your passport is still valid for your reentry to your home country with less than six months validity.

This can be true. It depends on the county that you intend to visit. Many countries do have the rule that your passport must be valid at least six months beyond the date that you have been admitted to. However, many countries will waive that requirement if it has a reciprocal agreement with the passport holders country. It is generally known as the 6 month club. It is best to check with the country's consulate that you intend to visit to find out about all the pertinent immigration laws and regulations. This is a link to the current countries in the United States 6 month club.

FB

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

South Africa is notoriously strict on this. Airlines who notice won't allow you to board flight to SA with <6 months remaining.

My passport expires in March 2012. I have travel scheduled to Croatia in September-October 2011 and South Korea in November 2011. I believe -- and FB's information seems to confirm -- that I can wait until after I return from Korea to get a new passport.

On another, related issue, my current passport is a 48-pager with extra pages added. I heard that 48-pagers weren't issued for a while. Are they being issued now? Does anyone have recent experience with that?

Bruce

At six-seven months before,
just get a new one, when you are not in a hurry.

Many stories of people getting bitten by this.
Why push it to squeeze out another $5-10 of time value.

I always request 48-pager,
usually by stapling a big hand-written full page note to the application!

Even then, it came back short one time.
I took it back down to the Post Office,
a corrected one was sent to my address within 10 days or so.

I don't know of any country which will give its citizens a problem if they re-enter even on the last day of a passport's validity.

In most, in fact, you can re-enter on an expired passport -- although you will run into some headaches and, depending on the country, might be fined.

The six month limitation applies only to countries you want to visit.

My daughter has a flight to the Netherlands next month. Her Israeli passport will expire in less than 6 months. She has to use that passport to exit/enter Israel but because of its pending expiration she will enter the EU on her American passport.

What is allowed depends upon a combination of the following: (a) the country/countries on the trip where a foreign citizen will present herself/himself for entry using a foreign passport; and (b) the conditions and circumstances under which the foreign citizen's entry is attempted/occurring.

Reciprocal agreements between countries have something to do with what is generally applicable. However, even in the absence of such agreements between a person's country of citizenship and the relevant foreign country, it may be possible to enter even with less than 6 months before passport expiration date, depending upon the conditions and circumstances under which a foreign citizen's entry is attempted/occurring.

I've entered at least a dozen countries using US passports with an expiration date within 6 months of my date of arrival in such countries and not all of them have reciprocal agreements with the US specifying that travel is allowed within 6 months of passport expiration date. But, as I said, it depends on the country/countries on the trip where you will present yourself for entry using a foreign passport and the conditions and circumstances under which entry is attempted/occurring by the foreigner.

If you are unsure about what is applicable for your situation, consider asking the embassy/consulate of the country/countries where you will present yourself for entry. If not willing to do that, consider renewing the passport at some point that is more than 6 months before it's expiration date and would get you your renewal passport in time for the trip.

Just check on-line for each country's rules. I entered Brasil once on a passport that was expiring in 3 weeks. As long as the passport is valid the day you enter, you're fine.

One piece of advice on your passport renewal - always go to a Passport Agency office, if you live in a city with one. You get your passport in 3 days or less, and you don't have to worry about it getting lost in transit. This is particularly important for people who have visas, since at the Passport Agency, they just punch holes in your old passport to invalidate it and hand it right back to you when you submit paperwork for the renewal. I've known too many people who have had to redo visas when their old passport wasn't returned with their new one when using standard mailing or even FedEx for the mail-in processing.

You should consider a passport as expired at the 6-month mark. There is conflicting information out there and carriers will never risk the fines and liability they incur by transporting a person who is not admitted for a self-evident reason. Put simply, if there is any question, they won't board you. Because contracts of carriage put the responsibility on you, if you have a non-refundable ticket, you may also be out its value.

Simple solution is not to chance it and to renew well in advance of the 6 months and thereby not limit yourself.

You don't have to do that anymore, the new application form's first question is a check box asking if you want the 28 page book or the 52 page book.

If there's even a remote chance of having to add pages in the next 9 1/2 years it doesn't make sense not to get the 52 pager, as there's no charge for the extra pages up front, but is should you go to add them later.

http://i56.tinypic.com/4r2s1k.jpg

They have actually made it easier for us

My theory on the six month thing.

There is no risk if you renew it before the six months. There is some risk if you don't, as seen time and time again here when somebody is denied boarding (rightfully or wrongfully) because of it. Assuming you have a 10 year passport, and paid $110 for it, you lose about $6.55 (six dollars and fifty five cents) in the value of it by renewing early. To me it's totally worth not risking being turned away at the counter because some airline doesn't understand the regulations.

As the OP, let me say straight away that it is not a money thing, just a timing issue. Let me pose this question: Can I get a rush job (7-10 days) at the Boston Passport Office if I demonstrate a planned trip where the fact that my passport expires 6 months from now may be an issue?

And what is the approximate turnover time at the post office currently? After all, I haven't applied for one in almost 10 years!

People must get tripped up on this all the time! After all, most of us assume that documents are good until they expire!

Yes.

It's a daily issue, but it seems to impact a tiny fraction of even persons with passports expiring within 6 months of departure date. Even at airports like JFK and EWR, it's not that common for a CA to be confronted with a real problem of this sort.

Pay the 25.00 and get the passport card while you do this. Great for Id and a backup if your passport is stolen.

You can enter the Schengen area with less than 6 months left due to an agreement between the US and the EU/EEA.