Expired US passports can be used to travel to the US through June 30, 2022 [updated]
 

Due to the pandemic, the US has revised course to allow US citizens to fly back to the US from abroad on expired US passports that meet certain requirements.

Full-duration passports -- 10 year validity for adult passports or 5 year validity for children passports -- which expired/expire in 2020 or 2021 can -- by State policy -- be used to fly back to the US for the remainder of this year, assuming you get a cooperative airline/agent to allow it:

https://www.state.gov/return-travel-...u-s-passports/

Update to share the same content after a site page change:

https://www.state.gov/return-travel-...u-s-passports/

NYT on this: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/t...passports.html

You can always enter the U.S. with an expired passport, or no passport if you are a U.S. citizen. If you are a citizen you cannot be denied entry. BUT, getting an airline to agree to fly you (because they are subject to fines if you're denied entry) is another problem. Also, be prepared to spend more time at your entry point to verify your citizenship, especially if you're trying to enter with no passport.

Also should be noted, if you transfer in a 3rd country you may not be able to use this option.

By rule, if you were to get to US, be found inadmissible, you'd be returned to the country you just flew in from, not where you originated. Thus why some countries require you to be admissible to their country to transit.

The new policy is If the above-noted type of US passport expired on or after January 1, 2020, the expired US passport can be used to return directly to the United States until the end of March 2022.

My US-citizen husband’s passport just expired and he hasn’t been able to get a new one — we’re booked to fly from LHR to LAX next week. This exception totally applies to him, but is it likely Virgin will deny him boarding? I called them and they were clueless.

This exception is in effect through March 31, 2021.

Yep, I’m 100% sure he *should* be allowed to fly, but I’m just worried about the airline staff refusing to let him because they’re misinformed (like the Virgin rep I spoke with this morning). I’m wondering if there’s anything we can do to avoid that happening?

It’s the quote I was originally replying to that’s writing us! (“getting an airline to agree to fly you (because they are subject to fines if you're denied entry) is another problem”)

The agents should be able to verify this through Timatic.

Thank you! I’d asked the Virgin rep that specifically and she said she “wasn’t trained on that” so I gave up.

June 30, 2022.

Travel with Expired U.S. Passport ends June 30, 2022

“After June 30, 2022, you will not be able to use your expired U.S. passport to return to the United States.”

Finalized decision to not extend it was put forward publicly earlier Thursday.

just to be clear: this means that
a) a common carrier may no longer accept an expired passport as evidence of admissibility and therefore may not allow a pax with an expired passport to board, but
b) a US citizen who arrives at a US Port of Entry with an expired US passport will still be allowed entry (pending verification of identity/citizenship even if that verification may take a long time), correct?

correct.