Passports

[sandshal]

Our next trip to Florida is booked from the 8th-25th August and My DS's passport expires Oct 2008. Is it still the case the passport needs to be valid for a few months after your return or does anybody know if I'll get away with renewing when we get home?

I remember reading something about this in the Virgin book a few years ago but not sure if it's still applicable.

Any ideas

Sharon

[disneyholic family]

the airlines i've flown internationally all require passports to be valid for 6 months from the date of the trip.
But i don't know if that's true for Virgin as well.

[wayneg]

Yes its 6 months with Virgin, text taken from their site

Q. What should I check with regards to my passport?
A. You must have a FULL and VALID passport to visit the destinations we feature on this website. It needs to be valid for at least 6 months from the date of departure. Also, please ensure that the names and initials on your flight tickets are the same as your passport.

[tinkerbell 766]

I am not sure if it is so much a requirement by the airlines but probably a requirement of the USA that passports are valid for six months after your return date. I would renew it before you go just to be on the safe side

[wayneg]

I am not sure if it is so much a requirement by the airlines but probably a requirement of the USA that passports are valid for six months after your return date. I would renew it before you go just to be on the safe side

No, its the airlines that require a minimum length of time on passports.
This is taken from the US Embassy site.
It says you will be admitted into the US until your expiration date under the Visa Waiver program.
I think most airlines require 6 months(not sure why though, anyone know?)
Passport Validity
If traveling under the Visa Waiver Program, the passport must be valid for at least 90 days from the date on which the holder enters the United States. If not, the holder will be admitted until the expiration date on the passport. Note: Passport holders from Andorra, Brunei, and San Marino must be in possession of a passport valid for at least six months from the date of departure from the United States, even if traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program.

[disneyholic family]

No, its the airlines that require a minimum length of time on passports.
This is taken from the US Embassy site.
It says you will be admitted into the US until your expiration date under the Visa Waiver program.
I think most airlines require 6 months(not sure why though, anyone know?)
Passport Validity
If traveling under the Visa Waiver Program, the passport must be valid for at least 90 days from the date on which the holder enters the United States. If not, the holder will be admitted until the expiration date on the passport. Note: Passport holders from Andorra, Brunei, and San Marino must be in possession of a passport valid for at least six months from the date of departure from the United States, even if traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program.

i've been told that airlines want 6 months to be sure that you won't be deported for some reason, since the airline is obligated to carry a person who's refused entry back to their departure point......
but i don't know if that's really why they require 6 months..

[tinkerbell 766]

Ah, thanks Wayneg. I stand corrected:) :)

[Jakey Rowling]

I believe ( reasonably sure) if you have a return journey with virgin on a valid passport you are OK as detailed here:

http://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_client.cgi?ExpertMode=TIDFT/US/PA/VA&user=VSB2C&subuser=VSB2C

I'm sure the 6 month thing is for a trip with no planned return for which you are OK under the visa waiver.

I had to produce my return flight details this year as they were on a separate booking even though i had years left on my passport.

[jen_uk]

Virgin don't require you to have 6 months, I flew last year with a passport with only about 2 months on there and it was fine. I called Virgin and the US embassy before to check and they both said that if you are travelling on the visa waiver it only has to be valid for length of stay :goodvibes

[wayneg]

I think last time this question came up exactly the same happen, no conclusive answer, everyone has different info. Best thing to do is renew early, I believe you can still add upto 9 months of unexpired passport onto your new one http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/apply-renewing-when.asp

[disneyholic family]

I think last time this question came up exactly the same happen, no conclusive answer, everyone has different info. Best thing to do is renew early, I believe you can still add upto 9 months of unexpired passport onto your new one http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/apply-renewing-when.asp

the problem is the person who looks at your passport isn't exactly a rocket scientist..

i once was flying non-stop to the states with a passport that had less than 2 months on it....

the airline ground agent checking me in said, "you need 6 months on your passport"

to which i responded - hey you twit, i'm flying to the US non-stop...did you happen to notice that's an american passport and i'm an american citizen? .....translation - i only need a passport valid for the day i'm entering the country, after that i'm HOME you twit....i don't need a passport to be home..

ok...i didn't really say that....but i was thinking it....
i said a much more cleaned up, polite version of the above..
but i had to keep explaining it to her over and over and over and over before she finally understood that an american doesn't need an american passport that's good for 6 months to get on a plane to america.....:eek: