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Passport Q: 6 months validity
My passport expires Aug 21 of this year. I am looking at visiting 2 countries in the month of February, both which have the 6 months passport validity requirement (cut off date being Feb 21).
On the Department of State Consular Information Sheet the wording is different.
Country A:
your passport must also have at least six months validity remaining.
Country B:
your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of your entry into Country B
So how do you read this? Country A must have six months validity for the entire duration of my stay, and Country B only needs six months validity from the date I enter?
Unfortunately, I cannot get a new passport before this trip. I will have to do that in March (which I will do ASAP).
Your thoughts are appreciated!
Re: Passport Q: 6 months validity
i read it that you need to have a valid passport for 6 months after travel.
whats the dates youre departing and returning?
After entry, you mean? Or whole duration of stay?
That's the million dollar question, I don't know yet.
We're waiting on a residence visa (from Country C; unrelated) to go through. We can't plan travel until that happens (estimated 2 to 5 weeks from today).
ETA: Clarification.
I read it as 6 months from the date of entry. Can you call an embassy/consulate of the country to confirm? I know people who've been turned back by airlines over these issues so I would want to know for sure.
Holy ***, that's scary. Which countries, can you tell me?
In my scenario A is Laos and B is Thailand.
South Africa. But really I think it's going to come down to the call ofthe ticketing agent.
I once had to plead my case for 10 minutes with KLM--which didn't want to let me on a flight to AMS because I was connecting to Tanzania and didn't have a TZ visa. You can get visas on entry in TZ and I had two expired visas in my passport that indicated they were issued at the airport. But it was not easy to convince them!
Honestly this also sounds like a plausible scenario for getting a second passport. I know DOS is issuing them less frequently but I bet if you wet to the embassy and explained that your passport was stuck at another embassy for immigration processing and you need to travel in the meantime they may issue you one. Especially since you reside outside of the US and could theoretically need to have your passport on short notice.
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id be worried as well as i too have seen people turned away.
why can't you get a renewal before then? send it in for expedition. it'll take 2 weeks and then you dont have to worry.......
I could write a freaking novel on why I need a second passport.
The reason I can't get a new passport expedited is because I am living in yet another country (Country D) where I am currently illegal. Waiting on legal status, but no cigar yet. I doubt the local embassy would grant me a new passport because of that.
Additionally, the passport I currently have was used for my residence permit application to Country C. I can't give up the passport I have until I get there.
could you go to the american embasy in the country where you are now?
Physically, yes.
Country A must have six months validity for the entire duration of my stay, and Country B only needs six months validity from the date I enter?
That is how I read it too. The airline checks this and takes it very seriously. I actually have been turned away when I was supposed to go to Malaysia once for a business trip because of this rule. They told me that even if you somehow make it on the plane, they will check again at customs when you arrive and send you back. In my case the difference was less than a week. I would do everything I could to get a new passport asap.
maybe they can help you out with a new passport.
You are right, your specific circumstance does not seem like you are entitled to a second valid passport (http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/94669.pdf) because you can travel on the passport you have now and you can produce the passport to have it renewed.
Like the PPs stated, I have seen many, many people turned away at the airport by the airline itself (not even customs at the other country) because if the airline lets you board and you are refused entry, the airline has to immediately fly you back on their dime. If you feel like you can't renew (which I'm not sure why you can't -- the gov't doesn't keep your old passport -- you'll get it back, and if your visa is still valid you just travel with both books) you may not be able to make your trips.
I don't have the visa yet, that's the problem. The old passport would then be invalidated, which could be a major problem with Country C (as the visa is stamped into your passport upon arrival into the country). Additionally, I am not legal in the country where I currently am, so they wouldn't give me a new passport even if I asked (I imagine).
The trips to Countries A & B are just hypothetical for now, so aren't a priority. Hopefully the residence permit to Country C comes well before Feb 21, thus rendering this whole discussion needless.
I told you I could write a freaking book on the insane immigration situations I find myself in.
Actually I would imagine the US embassy would give you a new passport regardless of how you are living there. For all they know you could be on vacation there.
You're right, I looked at the website and it doesn't say anything about a residency requirement to renew your passport. Can vacationers really renew their passport abroad? For some reason that surprises me.
Still, I'm not going to show up in Oz with a passport - the one they expect me to have- that's invalidated.
I just did this when I went to India last month and it was no big deal. And my old passport was originally issued in my maiden with the old style update (new name printed on the back page).
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Have you tried ringing the dept of immigration in OZ to find out if it matters? I think the passport is used as a legal form of identification (they have a points check list with each item wirth so many points) and to check your nationality etc so they would therefore expect that it might be updated at any stage. As you said the Visa is stamped on your arrival in OZ so as long as it is a valid passport it shouldn't be a problem. But as I said you need to ring the Immigration dept.
And Thailand will turn you away if you do not have 6 months validity on your passport. We go to Thailand every year and always make sure that out passports have the 6 months vailidity.