Passport expires 2 months after trip to USA?

[phabric]

We will be flying from Toronto to Las Vegas at Christmas time. Our passports expiry in Feb. Will we have any problems crossing and returning to Canada. Someone mentioned the passports have to be good for 6 months after you enter or is it only some countries. I don't want to get new passports until Feb.

 

[Applemomma]

I've heard that "six month" rule before too. I did have a friend that got held up over the issue but that was coming back in to the US with a Canadian passport, traveling internationally. That might be one of those rules that's open to interpretation with the border officials and you'll never get a definite answer. I can see why an expiring passport might be a red flag to someone planning on staying in the country illegally.

Personally I think you're better off just going ahead and getting your renewals done before your trip and then you don't have to think/worry about it.

 

[tgropp]

I would get a new passporteven though it has the 2 months. I remember travelling in the states a few years back and we had 9 months left till renewal and the customs agent in Fort lauderdale told us that we had to replace it when we got home. Sounds stupid but I would hate to get held up at the border.

 

[ccudmore]

You do indeed need to have a passport that is valid for 6 months from the date you go across the border in order to get across. The reason is that, when you go across the border, they are granting you a 6 month tourist visa regardless of how long you say you're staying. 6 months is the maximum you're allowed to stay in the U.S. without getting a different kind of visa. If they actually stamp your passport the stamp would say something to the effect that they are granting you 6 months in the country without working.

So they can't grant you a visa that goes beyond the expiry date of the passport. Expect to be turned back at the border if the passport isn't good for 6 months.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

Why not simply check the Canadian Government web site for passport rules. You will have the correct answer rather than peoples guesses. Travel between Canada and the USA is much easier than to other countries...

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/support/faq.aspx?lang=eng&id=110

Does my passport need to be valid for a specified length of time prior to the date of entry into the United States?


No, as long as the passport is valid the day you return to Canada.

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[drag n' fly]

This was my question a couple months back. Here is what happened. Went to Arizona at the beginning of March. My passport expired May 15th.

Going down US security said when are you coming back? I told him when and he said you do realize your passport expires in May? I replied yes is that a problem? Both CDN and US security said if its good going down and coming back your fine. I said what about the six month rule? He said that rule only applies for International travel outside of the US. I asked CDN security coming back and they said we will take you even if your passport expires while away coming home because you are a CDN citizen entering your own country. Of course I would not recommend that but that was what I was told.

 

[aristocat65]

You are fine with your current passport. The 6 month rule only applies to some countries - Canada is exempt.
http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov...lentin_04162008.ctt/clp_bulletin_04162008.pdf

I actually printed this out and took it with me on our last trip when my passport had only 3 months left, just in case I had a problem, but it was fine.

 

[stefanospops]

We were at the World in Feb/March and my 4 year old's passport expired in April. We were allowed there and back and no one even mentioned it. I was kind of surprised to find this thread and am happy I did not have any issues crossing the border, especially since we were driving and could have been seen as a larger risk to try to stay illegally.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

I have crossed the border back into Canada several times in the last 2 years where I was not asked for a passport. In my experience it is always leaving the Country going to the US that is the issue. I would rather give the US border patrol my dna and a thumb print to relax when I cross the border.

 

[minnie56]

My DD lives and works in New York City...she was home for the Memorial day weekend and returned last nite to NYC. The US Immigration officer told her that 'should' she come home for Christmas (which of course she will) she better renew her passport then because it expires in April 2012 and she will be refused entry back into the U.S after the holidays. Meanwhile..her home is there...her employer is there. Now, he may just be having a lousy day..but does one want to take that chance?

I think the issue would never be coming back into Canada but the U.S guys....sometimessss they are just plain difficult.

 

[declansdad]

THe 6 month rules does not apply to Canadians, Checked it a while back on the US Consulate site.

 

[tone.def]

We were at the World in Feb/March and my 4 year old's passport expired in April. We were allowed there and back and no one even mentioned it. I was kind of surprised to find this thread and am happy I did not have any issues crossing the border, especially since we were driving and could have been seen as a larger risk to try to stay illegally.

Children under 16 can still drive through with birth certificates.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/whti-ivho/ls-tm-eng.html

 

[MedicGoofy]

They will infact take an expired passport, as long as it's within a year of the expirary date.

I also have an enhanced drivers licence, which allows for crossing without a passport (which I no longer have, and NEEEEEEED to get) but they will take that up until the day it actually expires.

 

[Northstar]

My DD lives and works in New York City...she was home for the Memorial day weekend and returned last nite to NYC. The US Immigration officer told her that 'should' she come home for Christmas (which of course she will) she better renew her passport then because it expires in April 2012 and she will be refused entry back into the U.S after the holidays. Meanwhile..her home is there...her employer is there. Now, he may just be having a lousy day..but does one want to take that chance?

I think the issue would never be coming back into Canada but the U.S guys....sometimessss they are just plain difficult.

Your daughter's situation is different because she is not in the U.S. as a visitor. She is a U.S. resident. The border guys would not be "being difficult" in turning her back at the border in December, because her projected length of stay in the US WOULD go beyond her passport validity.

Why would you think the US border guard was "having a bad day" or "being difficult" in warning your daughter about a possible problem she might encounter if she goes home at Christmas? I think he was being nice and going beyond the call of duty.

 

[minnie56]

I see your point...but they read her the riot act about it to the point that she missed her flight! By all means remind her of the problems she could encounter but lets not go overboard! They do not like that she lives and works stateside--it's obvious. She has a visa authorized by U.S Immigration but every single time she re-enters--there's grief of some sort. Same thing this past Monday when she returned..always sent into secondary despite her paperwork being intact...

Frustrating..

That said..not the case when crossing by car, only at Pearson.

 

[lady_bug_888]

Minnie56--I can totally relate to your daughters situation. I used to teach in Harlem and although all my paper work was in order and I had a valid visa, I was always sent to the secondary area. It would take an average of 3 hours to clear security and I missed numerous flights/connections. I felt like a criminal because I was working the the US but I was a Canadian citizen. That said, I no longer work there--and haven't for more than 5 years--yet I am still pulled to secondary screening. I usually get all my bags checked (yeah it's fun when the security guard goes through your wallet and questions EVERYTHING in it) and get questioned as does anyone who travels with me. It's a nightmare!

To everyone else--OFFICIALLY you don't need your passport to be good for six months after your date of travel but it is recommended. If you choose NOT to have a passport valid for 6 months after your travel date, be prepared to be delayed. You may be searched or pulled into secondary screening. You also may be issued a visa (stamp) allowing you into the country for a specified time period. Say you were travelling June 13-20, your visa could expire at midnight on the 20th after which time you could technically be deported. Security guards are NOT friendly people in my experience. I used to think it was no big deal to cross the border. I lived about 10 minutes away and I have literally crossed the border at least 1000 times. I have had plenty of bad experiences and I get very stressed crossing the border now. It is no fun to have your husband and son questioned at secondary screening and to be treated like a common criminal. I have no record, my fingerprints are on file with the FBI (as per my teaching contract back in 2005) and I always have tons of paperwork with me including where I live, work, where I'm staying, bank statements etc...yet I'm ALWAYS pulled aside.

I have no doubt in my mind that if I tried to cross the border when my passport was expiring within that 6 month time frame I would either a) be denied entry or b) be given a temporary visa. Either way I would end up in secondary questioning.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

I'm not really sure why there is still a discussion going on when the Canadian Passport site clearly states a Canadian Passport only has to be valid on the date of return. Not six months out :confused. A passport is required to return to the country of which you are a citizen. It is not required for you to leave. When crossing the border to the USA you are showing the border authorities that Canada will let you back in.


www.passportcanada.gc.ca

FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does my passport need to be valid for a specified length of time prior to the date of entry into the United States?


No, as long as the passport is valid the day you return to Canada
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[TagsMissy]

The 6 mos rule doesn't apply to trips to the US. I just returned yesterday and my passport expires in August.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/619/kw/how%20long%20should%20my%20passport%20be%20valid

And our trip in 2009 hubby's passport was only valid a month after our trip and all was OK

 

[TagsMissy]

The 6 mos rule doesn't apply to trips to the US on a Canadian passport. I just returned yesterday and my passport expires in August.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/619/kw/how%20long%20should%20my%20passport%20be%20valid

And our trip in 2009 hubby's passport was only valid a month after our trip and all was OK

Just to clarify,, this pertains to Canadian passports!