# Soon to expire passport



## siclone (Jul 6, 2012)

Taking the family to Cancun in 2 weeks. Our son has a passport that will expire in Sept. I have been told that some treat this the same as if it is actually expired, needs to be at least 6 months to expiration. Is this true? Has anyone had any trouble traveling to Mexico, or anywhere else for that matter, w/ a soon to expire passport?
Thanks,
Siclone


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## Passepartout (Jul 6, 2012)

Because a visitors visa lasts 6 months, some airlines won't board a passenger whose passport expires before his visa does. I'd order an expedited replacement. You might check with your airline for their policy on this.

Jim


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## Luanne (Jul 6, 2012)

Passepartout said:


> Because a visitors visa lasts 6 months, some airlines won't board a passenger whose passport expires before his visa does. I'd order an expedited replacement. You might check with your airline for their policy on this.
> 
> Jim



I thought you didn't need a visa to visit Mexico?

I was trying to research this question online, but couldn't find anything that stated what a "valid" passport consisted of.


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## Passepartout (Jul 6, 2012)

Luanne said:


> I thought you didn't need a visa to visit Mexico?



You get it stamped by Mexican immigration at the airport when you arrive. J


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## MULTIZ321 (Jul 6, 2012)

Siclone,

This is a cut & paste from another discussion board:


"I find nothing on the United website about this, but on the Delta site it says:
"Leaving the United States?

Not without a passport with at least 6 months of validity on it."

and elsewhere on their site, 

"If you are traveling anywhere overseas, even to Canada, the Caribbean or Mexico, you now need a passport to board an international flight and to enter any country. In general your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date you enter a foreign country."

But on this site (http://www.wordtravels.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1580), I find:
"The answer is that it all depends on your passport, and your destination:

Some countries have a strict 6-month validity rule in place. If your passport expires within 6 months of your date of arrival you will be turned away at immigration, if not before at your departure airport. These include: Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, UAE, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Paraguay, Tunisia, Romania, Singapore and surprisingly, Belgium.

Other countries enforce a 3-month rule. These include: Cambodia, Denmark, Fiji, Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand, Croatia and Estonia

Many countries however require only a valid passport for the duration of your stay. Among these are: Kenya, Tanzania, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, UK and USA."
------------------------------------------------------
So it would seem that United treats you like an adult and lets you screw up if you want to. 
Delta treats you like a nanny and enforces (or at least, threatens you with) a 6-month rule, just in case."


Richard


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## MommaBear (Jul 6, 2012)

I'd rather know ahead of time that there might be a problem than get to the airport, either the one from which I am departing or the one in Mexico, and find out I cannot go on vacation. 

Call the Mexican Embassy and see what they say. You do not say how old your son is, but if he is a minor and traveling with you the Embassy may say not to worry about it.


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## Luanne (Jul 6, 2012)

And I hate to sound mean or snarky, but why would you wait until 2 weeks before you're supposed to leave to find out if this would be a problem? :ignore:


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## pjrose (Jul 7, 2012)

About a week or so before is when I'd get our passports out.  I know they're valid, but don't know the dates, and till reading this I had absolutely no idea that there was any kind of six month issue!  

So, I guess I need to put a reminder on my calendar to renew them 8 months before expiration, whenever that is.  Another thing to remember.

Thanks, Siclone, for bringing this up!


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## rrsafety (Jul 7, 2012)

Yes, always have the passport viable for at least six months. Should an accident happen and your son had to spend significant time in a hospital, his passport could lapse and then you'd be in a bureaucratic nightmare in addition to the health concerns.


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## siclone (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks for all your input. My son in 19. We new his passport expired in Sept. but just heard about the 6 month rule over the weekend. We are also having trouble trying to figure out what "valid" means. We may have to make the 5hr trip to Chicago to get an expedited passport. Would really hate to get to the airport and find that he can't board the plane, weather it be to or from Cancun.
Thanks again,
Siclone


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## Passepartout (Jul 7, 2012)

You can do expedited at your post office. No trip to the embassy needed. It won't come cheap, but 2 weeks (from Monday) should be plenty of time. My last renewal took under 10 days not even expedited. Here's a link to the State Dep't site about this: http://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.html

Good Luck!

Jim

P.S. 





> We are also having trouble trying to figure out what "valid" means.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## pittle (Jul 7, 2012)

pjrose said:


> So, I guess I need to put a reminder on my calendar to renew them 8 months before expiration, whenever that is.  Another thing to remember.



That is what I do.  I have a Reminder for March 2013, that I need to renew ours.  We go to Mexico twice a year and I do not want to NOT have a valid passport!


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## pittle (Jul 7, 2012)

The suggestions about calling your airline and the Mexican Embassy nearest you are great ones.  It is better to know you got it done than for him not to be allowed on the plane or in the country.  The 10 hour roundtrip to Chicago would be worth it for me.  They will overnight the passport once it has processed.

http://www.mexperience.com/guide/essentials/mexico-entry-requirements.php#ReqTourists  This article says it needs to be 6 months, but may be shorter.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds82/ds82_843.html Because his current passport was for a child - and he was 14 when he got it,  you cannot renew by mail.  (Besides your timeline is too short.)  You could use one of the expediter companies and get one.  These are expensive, but you might not have to make the drive.


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## Passepartout (Jul 7, 2012)

Once he has the application in and has stamped it 'Expedited', I have heard reports of success by enlisting one's Congressional Representative to hurry things along. It costs nothing and Heaven knows those folks are looking for ways to endear themselves to their constituents.

Can't hurt- might help.

Jim


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## Dsauer1 (Jul 7, 2012)

*You are OK with the passport*

We just got back from Cancun with our grandson whose passport expires Sept 10. No problem with TSA, immigration or United. Passports are not required for cruises or driving to MX, only flights.


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## csxjohn (Jul 7, 2012)

Dsauer said:


> ... Passports are not required for cruises or driving to MX, only flights.



Are you sure about this?  I was under the impression that for a while now a passport was needed for re-entry from Canada by car.  Why would Mexico be different?


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## Passepartout (Jul 7, 2012)

Dsauer said:


> We just got back from Cancun with our grandson whose passport expires Sept 10. No problem with TSA, immigration or United. Passports are not required for cruises or driving to MX, only flights.



Looking over the State Department site, this is clearly not accurate. Beware of anecdotal information. What happens to one traveler is not necessarily the same as the official stand.

Jim


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## Hobo1 (Jul 7, 2012)

Dsauer said:


> We just got back from Cancun with our grandson whose passport expires Sept 10. No problem with TSA, immigration or United. Passports are not required for cruises or driving to MX, only flights.



On our last cruise out of Galveston, with Mexico ports of call, several disappointed cruisers were denied boarding because they did not have their passports.


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## grgs (Jul 7, 2012)

We were in a similar situation last month.  Passports expiring in August, with a trip to Cancun booked for June.  I did some research, and since Mexico is NOT on the list of countries requiring a 6 or 3 month validity period (see Richard's post above), we thought it would be ok.  As it turned out, we did not have any problems coming or going.  Of course, if you have the time to renew, then I would go ahead and do it--for peace of mind if nothing else.

Looking at the State Department's info on Thailand, you can see the 6 month requirement is listed:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1040.html#entry_requirements

However, there is no similar requirement for Mexico:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html#entry_requirements

(note: you may need to scroll down to the "Entry/Exit Requirements for U.S. Citizens" section.)

As soon as we got back home, we sent in the renewal packets.

Glorian


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## ilene13 (Jul 7, 2012)

Dsauer said:


> We just got back from Cancun with our grandson whose passport expires Sept 10. No problem with TSA, immigration or United. Passports are not required for cruises or driving to MX, only flights.



For driving to Canada or Mexico you can use a passport card or an enhanced license in lieu of a passport.  I know a cruise you can use a passport card, I am not sure about the enhanced license.  If you do not have either one of those, you must have a passport.


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## Passepartout (Jul 7, 2012)

grgs said:


> As soon as we got back home, we sent in the renewal packets.
> 
> Glorian



OP's son is not eligible for renewal by mail as he got his current passport as a child under 16. His next one has to be applied for in person and will be an 'adult' 10 year passport.

Jim


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## PStreet1 (Jul 7, 2012)

Dsauer said:


> Passports are not required for cruises or driving to MX, only flights.



Your information is incorrect.  Passports have been required to re-enter the U.S. from Mexico (even by car) since 2009.  Thousands of Americans decide the law doesn't apply to them and don't have passports, but the law is that a passport is required.  The border agents often do not enforce the rule; they don't send you to secondary inspection and then to an interview, but they can anytime they choose to do so.  We live part of the year in Mexico and drive back and forth across the border often with Trusted Traveler passes, but those who visit us bring their passports.  It is also true that no U.S. citizen can be denied entry to the country, so they will let you in--but they don't have to make it easy.


See the following from the U.S. Government:

http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/eng_map.html
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)requires *U.S.* and Canadian travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship *when entering the U.S.* It is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA). 

The goal of WHTI is to facilitate entry for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors, while strengthening U.S. border security. Standard documents will enable the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler. 

WHTI went into effect* June 1, 2009 for land and sea travel *into the U.S. WHTI document requirements for air travel went into effect in 2007. 

When you drive into Mexico, the law requires that you get a tourist visa.  If you fly, the visa price (about $25.00) has been added into your ticket price and the forms will be passed out on the plane for you to give to emmigration control when you enter and leave the country.  Since you aren't billed separately for it, you've simply never noticed it.

The same requirement applies if you drive into Mexico--however, in border areas, you don't need one if you will be in Mexico 72 hours or less.  More than that, you are legally required to get one.  However, no one checks, but, again, they could if they wanted.  If you were to get in trouble and be without a passport or visa, you would definitely have a problem.


http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html
*Since March 1, 2010, all U.S. citizens – including children – have been required to present a valid passport or passport card for travel into Mexico.* While documents are not routinely checked along the land border, Mexican authorities at immigration checkpoints approximately 20 to 30 kilometers from the border with the U.S. will often conduct vehicle and document inspections and will require valid travel documents and an entry permit or Forma Migratoria Multiple (FMM). All U.S. citizens entering by land and traveling farther than 20 kilometers into Mexico should stop at an immigration checkpoint to obtain an FMM, even if not explicitly directed to do so by Mexican officials. Beyond the 20-30 kilometer border zone, all non-Mexican citizens must have valid immigration documents (FMM, FM2, FM3 or FME) regardless of the original place of entry. Failure to present an FMM when checking in for an international flight departing Mexico can result in delays or missed flights as airlines may insist that a valid FMM be obtained from Mexican immigration authorities (Instituto Nacional de Migración, INM) before issuing a boarding pass.

A passport card is valid for Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean--and it's less expensive.  That might be an option.  http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html

The passport card is fine for cruises in the Caribbean or to Canada, but not for a trans-Atlantic.  I'm sure that the enhanced license won't work for cruises, though.



The fact that you had no problem definitely does not mean the next person won't have a problem.


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## ilene13 (Jul 7, 2012)

Passepartout said:


> OP's son is not eligible for renewal by mail as he got his current passport as a child under 16. His next one has to be applied for in person and will be an 'adult' 10 year passport.
> 
> Jim



How do you apply for a passport in person if there is no passport agency where you live?  When my children renewed their passports from a child's version to an adult one, it was done in the mail--we had it authorized at our local post office.


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## ilene13 (Jul 7, 2012)

PStreet1 said:


> Your information is incorrect.  Passports have been required to re-enter the U.S. from Mexico (even by car) since 2009.  Thousands of Americans decide the law doesn't apply to them and don't have passports, but the law is that a passport is required.  The border agents often do not enforce the rule; they don't send you to secondary inspection and then to an interview, but they can anytime they choose to do so.  We live part of the year in Mexico and drive back and forth across the border often with Trusted Traveler passes, but those who visit us bring their passports.  It is also true that no U.S. citizen can be denied entry to the country, so they will let you in--but they don't have to make it easy.
> 
> 
> See the following from the U.S. Government:
> ...



The passport card does not work if you are flying to Mexico or the Caribbean--- you must have an actual passport.


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## Passepartout (Jul 7, 2012)

ilene13 said:


> How do you apply for a passport in person if there is no passport agency where you live?  When my children renewed their passports from a child's version to an adult one, it was done in the mail--we had it authorized at our local post office.



That's how you do it. In person at your local post office. They can't simply send in a new photo and form 82 and the old passport for renewal like you can to renew an adult passport.. The post office IS the passport agency in the community. In our town it is just one particular post office, not just any ol' p.o.- I suspect it's that way where you live too.

Jim


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## PStreet1 (Jul 7, 2012)

ilene13 said:


> The passport card does not work if you are flying to Mexico or the Caribbean--- you must have an actual passport.


  True, it's not good for air travel at all--except as I.D. like a driver's license.  The trusted traveler program, though, (Sentri for the southern border and Nexus for the northern border) is actually going to start being useful for flying into some U.S. international airports---different lanes for getting through customs.


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## Passepartout (Jul 7, 2012)

For the OP's 19 year old. If it was me, I'd check with the airline and if it is not a big deal for them, I'd have him just show up at the airport with his existing passport. The State Dep't site says that even expedited, a new passport (which is what he'll be getting) has a turn-around time of 2-3 weeks. That's cutting it a little close for my comfort. As he stands now, he at least has a valid passport. Not so if he sends it away. Otoh, if he doesn't have to send in his 'childs' expiring PP, order the new one and if it comes back, Whooppee!, take the new one.

It sure would have been nice to have had an extra week before the trip.

Whatever you decide, we wish you good luck and safe travels.
Jim


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## pittle (Jul 7, 2012)

Dsauer said:


> We just got back from Cancun with our grandson whose passport expires Sept 10. No problem with TSA, immigration or United. Passports are not required for cruises or driving to MX, only flights.



We drove to Mazatlan from Phoenix on May 31st, and had to have passports when we went through Nogales.  We bought the tourist card after showing our passport.  We had to show our passports when we drove back to the US Border, on June 20th.


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## moonlightgraham (Jul 10, 2012)

We're heading to Cancun in November and my youngest daughter's passport expires in April of next year, right at five months from the date of our planned travel. Living in Atlanta we have a sizeable Mexican Consulate so I contacted them directly and they said as long as the passport is valid for the length of stay planned it's fine (i.e., no six month rule). And here is the requirement straight from the Consulate web site:

U.S. and CANADIAN CITIZENS: 

United States and Canadian Citizens as a tourists, transit and business do not require a visa in order to visit Mexico. However, they require a tourist card (FMM), may be obtained at any port of entry. They are required to present one of the following documents:

1. Valid passport. 
2. Valid passport card (only for U.S. citizens)

That's it, short and sweet. Thus, it would seem any six month rule would stem from a particular airline's policy and not from the Mexican government. And I have a hard time seeing an airline actually denying boarding to a passenger with a valid passport that meets the requirements of the receiving country. Has anyone actually heard of this happening?


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## Larry (Jul 10, 2012)

moonlightgraham said:


> We're heading to Cancun in November and my youngest daughter's passport expires in April of next year, right at five months from the date of our planned travel. Living in Atlanta we have a sizeable Mexican Consulate so I contacted them directly and they said as long as the passport is valid for the length of stay planned it's fine (i.e., no six month rule). And here is the requirement straight from the Consulate web site:
> 
> U.S. and CANADIAN CITIZENS:
> 
> ...



Six month rule only applies to certain areas such as travel to Europe, Middle East, Asia etc. Six month rule does not apply to Mexico or the Carribean, As stated above you just need a "valid Passport".

I traveled to St.Lucia, Barbados and Aruba within six months of expiration and my trip home from Aruba was actually 3 days prior to my passport expiring. Had no problems on any of these trips.

Also valid passport card is only  accepted when driving to and from Mexico and Canada and can not be used for air travel.


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## flexible (Jul 29, 2012)

siclone said:


> Taking the family to Cancun in 2 weeks. Our son has a passport that will expire in Sept. I have been told that some treat this the same as if it is actually expired, needs to be at least 6 months to expiration. Is this true? Has anyone had any trouble traveling to Mexico, or anywhere else for that matter, w/ a soon to expire passport?
> Thanks,
> Siclone



Hello Siclone,

Bet you and your family had a grand time in Cancun.

While I do not wish to invade your privacy, it would be GREAT to hear IF:
- your son got a new passport & if so, how 
- the soon to expire was just fine.

THANKS in advance.


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## pittle (Jul 29, 2012)

flexible said:


> Hello Siclone,
> 
> Bet you and your family had a grand time in Cancun.
> 
> ...



I agree!  This needs to be "on record" for the rest of us who may come up with a similar situation in the future.


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## Passepartout (Jul 29, 2012)

Siclone hasn't posted since 7/7 and is not the most (ahem) prolific member here. They might still be in Cancun. A followup would be good information to share.

Jim


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