Passport Expiration

[CdnKayDee]

Hi all,

I have been searching the internet and think I have found my answer but want to double check. My mom's passport is going to expire in March. She is planning to go to Hawaii at the end of January (she will leave and return in January). Does she need to renew her passport now or is she fine? From my research it seems she is fine but I am reading that a passport unofficially expires 6 months before renewal. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[fan1080]

No 6 month requirement for the US. Your passport just needs to be valid to the departure date.

You can verify the requirements here:

Canada Website

US Website

 

[Sue M]

We are leaving for the in Jan, but our passports exp in 8 mos so I just sent in the renewal.
A friend of mine was leaving for Australia with only 6 mos left on her passport and had problems. She had to get an emerg. renewal.

 

[lizabu]

No 6 month requirement for the US. Your passport just needs to be valid to the departure date.

You can verify the requirements here:

Canada Website

US Website

This. If she was going somewhere other than the US she may need at least 6 months left on her passport but the US doesn't have that requirement.

 

[Alderbrook]

Yes US is that your passport just has to be current, the 6 month thing doesn't apply. My passport expires in Dec 2012 & we are heading to Florida in September so I'm not renewing it for that. I have crossed the border for shopping with an almost expired passport & they didn't say anything to me about it.

 

[mountain man]

Here is where the 6 months can be an issue. When you enter a country they grant you a visitors visa, which is usually 6 months. Even if you are only going for 2 weeks, technically you can stay for 6 months. If you have less than 6 months left on your passport the agent may give you a hassle or even refuse you entry.

Personally I wouldn't risk it. With the amount you spend on a vacation it is not worth it. If you get there and they turn you back your vacation is shot.

 

[TagsMissy]

For Canadians traveling on a Canadian passport the 6 mos validity doesn't apply when going to the US. Hubby and I had no issues on some recent trips. Went to WDW in the same month hubby's passport expired and no issues a few years ago and earlier this year we went to WDW with about 2 mos left on mine, again no issues.

 

[drag n' fly]

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/planification/usa.aspx?lang=eng

 

[fan1080]

We are leaving for the in Jan, but our passports exp in 8 mos so I just sent in the renewal.
A friend of mine was leaving for Australia with only 6 mos left on her passport and had problems. She had to get an emerg. renewal.

Passport expiry requirements are set by each individual Country. Some have a "buffer" requirement, others do not. Not sure what it is for Australia, but it sounds as though their requirements are different than the US.

And, when you update a passport early, you lose the time from the early renewal. In other words, they do not adjust the next renewal based on early renewal, it will be 5 years from the date of renewal.

Here is where the 6 months can be an issue. When you enter a country they grant you a visitors visa, which is usually 6 months. Even if you are only going for 2 weeks, technically you can stay for 6 months. If you have less than 6 months left on your passport the agent may give you a hassle or even refuse you entry.

Personally I wouldn't risk it. With the amount you spend on a vacation it is not worth it. If you get there and they turn you back your vacation is shot.

Actually, there would be no problem at all IF you are following the Country's entry requirements. For the US, as I posted above, and has also been posted by another, there is no 6 month buffer requirement, so border officials can not enforce something that doesn't exist.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

A passport is really for the country is it issued from. Canada is saying, yes, you have a passport you can come back. I find that very amusing.

Let's play devils advocate. What if Mom has an accident while in USA and has to be hospitalized and can not return by the expiry date. I would renew it. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

[Sillyminny40]

Passport Canada was pretty quick for us this September if you directly to the main passport offices. Using the old passport as ID is easy for a renewal. Really good service these days according to most people I've talked to.

 

[fan1080]

Let's play devils advocate. What if Mom has an accident while in USA and has to be hospitalized and can not return by the expiry date. I would renew it. Better to be safe than sorry!

From the Website:

"You should not travel with a passport that will expire during your trip or shortly after your planned return."

Noticed the bolded "planned return". Extenuating circumstances that delay your return will not mean you can never return home. There may be some extra paper work to be completed, which I believe can be arranged through a Canadian Embassy, but there will not be any trouble.

Now, having said all that, I would not likely travel if my passport was due to expire in the same month of travel, but not because it would be an "issue", only to save the hassle of having to fill out additional paperwork in the unlikely event of some unforeseeable delay (and I'm assuming there would be additional paperwork, I don't know for sure it would be required).

As long as we play by the rules, there will be no issues to deal with. The rules today for US travel all relate to our "planned" travel dates, and do not have an extended buffer zone beyond that. Peace of mind is not a requirement, but does help calm any fears we may have of a passport expiring while away under those extenuating circumstances.

 

[Alderbrook]

A passport is really for the country is it issued from. Canada is saying, yes, you have a passport you can come back. I find that very amusing.

Let's play devils advocate. What if Mom has an accident while in USA and has to be hospitalized and can not return by the expiry date. I would renew it. Better to be safe than sorry!

Canada will let you back in with your birth certificate, they don't care about the passport. My husband went to a drunk rowdy Bills game a few years ago & one of the guys lost his passport in Buffalo. They let him back into Canada no problem with the ID in his wallet.

 

[Sue M]

Passport expiry requirements are set by each individual Country. Some have a "buffer" requirement, others do not. Not sure what it is for Australia, but it sounds as though their requirements are different than the US.

And, when you update a passport early, you lose the time from the early renewal. In other words, they do not adjust the next renewal based on early renewal, it will be 5 years from the date of renewal.



Actually, there would be no problem at all IF you are following the Country's entry requirements. For the US, as I posted above, and has also been posted by another, there is no 6 month buffer requirement, so border officials can not enforce something that doesn't exist.

Bummer. Guess I loose 6 mos from my passport. Next time I'l know it doesn't apply to U.S. travel.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

It is only a recent change that a Passport is required for crossing the US border by car.

A few years ago it would not have been a problem to cross the border without a Passport.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

Ours expired in April 2012 and we renewed them this Month thinking that the rule was 6 months. I guess ... we were wrong too ...

 

[CdnKayDee]

I think my mom should be fine leaving and coming back in January 2012, passports expire in March 2012. I just had read about the 6 months, which I did not think applied, but wanted to double check. Thanks for all your responses!