Planning to travel internationally anytime soon?
Check your passport’s expiration date and then check the passport validity requirements for the country you are visiting. Then check the airline requirements just to be sure you can board that plane. (Some airlines have more stringent guidelines than the countries themselves.)
Your passport expiration date is a strange date– it means different things to different countries.
Some countries require 6 months of validity on your passport beyond your travel dates in order to admit you into the country. (Hello, United Arab Emirates). Some countries require 3 months validity (such as Germany and Norway). Fortunately, some countries (I’m thanking you, Chile and Argentina, as well as the United Kingdom!) only require your passport to be valid during the dates of your intended visit to the country.
Check the requirements well before you get to the airport. If your passport is not valid for the dates required, you will be turned away from boarding. And what a pain THAT would be!
There are 28 emergency passport offices across the country which can provide expedited service, but getting an appointment to see them can be a challenge if you wait too long.
My advice: As soon as you plan a trip, check everyone’s passport to avoid any unexpected challenges.
You can learn more about each country’s requirements on the country specific pages of the State Department’s website.
Learn more about U.S. passports on the U.S Department of State Passport FAQ page.
Leave a Reply