UA passport validity policy?
Dec 22, 2018, 12:07 pm
#17
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
you need a new passport, or if you want to risk it, I got away with it. Agent noticed the passport was going to expire 6 days before the 6 months I quickly said oh I have another passport let me go online and get a visa and I will check back in.
I just went to another agent who clearly didn't notice.
I just went to another agent who clearly didn't notice.
Dec 22, 2018, 12:44 pm
#18
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Dec 22, 2018, 3:13 pm
#19
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In that case, stop worrying.
The agent will see what you see when he enters your wife's details as you have done. I am not certain where you found the six months requirement, but perhaps her travel details are odd.
In any event, if TIMATIC shows her as requiring a renewal, then renew. If not, then wait unless you don't want to wait. Then renew.
If she renews, she will need a new ETA. Visas stamped into old passports are fine. ETA's are linked to a specific passport and the paper print out is simply for your records but of no value.
The agent will see what you see when he enters your wife's details as you have done. I am not certain where you found the six months requirement, but perhaps her travel details are odd.
In any event, if TIMATIC shows her as requiring a renewal, then renew. If not, then wait unless you don't want to wait. Then renew.
If she renews, she will need a new ETA. Visas stamped into old passports are fine. ETA's are linked to a specific passport and the paper print out is simply for your records but of no value.
Dec 22, 2018, 3:22 pm
#20
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: CLE
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The US State Dept says the passport must be valid upon entry to Australia.
I have never encountered a person who dreamed up more things to worry about than me. I think I may now have!
I have never encountered a person who dreamed up more things to worry about than me. I think I may now have!
Dec 22, 2018, 4:34 pm
#21
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”Do I need 6 months left on my passport?
There is no minimum passport validity required to enter Australia. Clients must have a valid passport and valid visa when they board their flight and when they enter Australia.
However as a general rule the travel industry recommend that your passport is valid for at least 6 months as some airlines and some countries have a 6 month rule. You should check with your airline and any country you may be transiting on the way to Australia.”
https://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/immi_travel.html
But then there’s this:Departing from an international port to Australia
The Advance Passenger Processing system allows international airline crew to check your visa status before your flight to Australia.
If you are certain that your visa is valid and they are unable to check your visa status, they should contact us to confirm your immigration status.
You should not consent to being granted an Electronic Travel Authority or cancel your flight before this occurs and confirmation with us is finalized.
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/ente...ing-the-border
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 22, 2018 at 6:05 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
Dec 22, 2018, 7:52 pm
#22
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Dec 22, 2018, 8:11 pm
#23
Join Date: Oct 2010
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They can't deny you boarding based on a potential visa issue on the return flight - they only care about the flights you are checking in for. If the agent in DEN is concerned about your return (which they 99.99999% won't be), just tell them you're planning to renew your passport at the embassy in Australia.
Dec 23, 2018, 9:51 am
#24
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They can't deny you boarding based on a potential visa issue on the return flight - they only care about the flights you are checking in for. If the agent in DEN is concerned about your return (which they 99.99999% won't be), just tell them you're planning to renew your passport at the embassy in Australia.
But as has been said above, Australia does not have a 6-month requirement. And the Qantas staff at LAX will absolutely know this, and thus there's no problem at all here.
An ETA is not a visa. The ETA is only valid for the current passport, and if you get a new passport then you need to get a new ETA. (Technically it's tied to the passport number, so if you get a new passport number - but for a US passport I believe there's no difference)
Dec 23, 2018, 12:42 pm
#25
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Yeah, they absolutely can, and do all the time - IF the rules of the country you're headed to require it.
But as has been said above, Australia does not have a 6-month requirement. And the Qantas staff at LAX will absolutely know this, and thus there's no problem at all here.
But as has been said above, Australia does not have a 6-month requirement. And the Qantas staff at LAX will absolutely know this, and thus there's no problem at all here.
A traveler is flying from country XXX to country YYY on a roundtrip ticket. The passport is valid for the outbound flight (expires after minimum passport validity requirement set by country YYY) but is not valid for the return. Can the airline deny boarding on the outbound? The answer is a short and simple no.
Whether Australia has a 6 month requirement is irrelevant, because OP clearly stated that their passport expires more than 6 months after the date they arrive in Australia. The concern was that the return flight would take place within 6 months of passport expiry. Even if the US required 6 months validity on the return flight, the airline has no grounds to deny boarding on the outbound.
Dec 23, 2018, 1:00 pm
#26
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This whole discussion on the return is moot. The OP (a USA passport holder) is not going to get denied on the return to the USA. With less than 6 months validity or even if the passport is expired. A passport is not required for a USA citizen to enter the USA and an expired passport is considered sufficient proof of citizenship to travel -- you will spend some time at your port of entry to the USA straighten out the situation. But travel is allowed.
Dec 24, 2018, 12:24 am
#27
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This whole discussion on the return is moot. The OP (a USA passport holder) is not going to get denied on the return to the USA. With less than 6 months validity or even if the passport is expired. A passport is not required for a USA citizen to enter the USA and an expired passport is considered sufficient proof of citizenship to travel -- you will spend some time at your port of entry to the USA straighten out the situation. But travel is allowed.
Dec 24, 2018, 7:39 am
#28
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1) I have found United rarely checks passports for a domestic segment connecting to an international flight. They don't worry that you might strand yourself in LAX (in your case). So your only issue, if any, will be with Quantas.
2) As others note, Australia does not appear to require 6 months validity.
3) Your passport need not even be valid to return to the US. There is certainly no 6-month rule for US citizens returning to US on US passport. So there would be no reason for Quantas to deny you boarding on your return flight with a passport still valid for 5 months and 25 days.
2) As others note, Australia does not appear to require 6 months validity.
3) Your passport need not even be valid to return to the US. There is certainly no 6-month rule for US citizens returning to US on US passport. So there would be no reason for Quantas to deny you boarding on your return flight with a passport still valid for 5 months and 25 days.
It may be moot in this case, but United absolutely requires a passport to return to the USA. My cousin was stranded in SJD when her sister took her passport home (long story) and had to wait a few days until she received the passport back. UA provided very little support and refused to permit her to board at SJD without a passport even though she was a US citizen and her sister brought the passport to the UA counter at the (US) airport. This is an airline requirement, not a government requirement, as the airline does not want to be fined in the event the passenger is unable to enter the USA and must be flown back at airline expense.
At one point an US citizen may enter US with a certified birth certificate and some form of photo ID, but those days are over.
Dec 24, 2018, 9:12 am
#29
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While it is OT for this thread, if you are a USN returning from overseas and you have lost or had your passport stolen, there is pretty much always a means of obtaining either a passport replacing document ("temporary" passport) or an authorization which will be communicated to your carrier. This will be for a return to the US, not for onwards and continuing travel. For SJD, there is a 24/7 duty number through Tiajuana. Traveling overseas I would always have the proper emergency numbers handy, not just to deal with lost passports.
While an emergency could certainly occur enroute to the airport, to the extent that it occurs beforehand, start the process immediately and do not wait to try to talk yourself onboard. Anecdotes don't work in these situations, so the fact that someone else managed to doesn't mean that you will.
While an emergency could certainly occur enroute to the airport, to the extent that it occurs beforehand, start the process immediately and do not wait to try to talk yourself onboard. Anecdotes don't work in these situations, so the fact that someone else managed to doesn't mean that you will.