Passport validity

[shazza67]

Hi there my family and I are off to Orlando October this year, my son and daughter both have passports that are valid until Feb 2011, I understand that they have to have 6 months validity after return travel, but is there any restriction on how soon before travel that we have to renew? I hope this make sense.

Thanks

Sharon

[Katys Grandad]

The 6 month rule you refer to doesn't exist any more so, as long as your passport is still valid on the days you fly out and home, you'll be OK.

[ShirleyD]

I back up what KG says, UK passport holders have a waiver from this ruling

[shakinsteve]

Confirmed, I travelled to Las Vegas last March and had 2 months left and travelled fine...

[gpullan]

Yep, went to Las Vegas last July with 5 weeks left on a passport. No problems.

[wrpac00]

Check with your airline. What people have quoted is 100% correct and with VA & BA you will have no problem but if you are flying with a charter airline you might run into problems.

[Sniff]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by wrpac00
Check with your airline. What people have quoted is 100% correct and with VA & BA you will have no problem but if you are flying with a charter airline you might run into problems.
[/quote]
True...many carriers still (erroneously) insist upon the "6-months remaining validity" rule. The carrier's responsibility is to ensure you travel with valid documentation, and as (in the situation the OP described) the documentation will be valid (even if the carrier might not think so) it's wise to have evidence to show them.

Try this link on the official CBP FAQ website:
https://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=905&p_created=1105727944&p_sid=YVWogBWj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_srch=1&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX 3Jvd19jbnQ9ODgsODgmcF9wcm9kcz0mcF9jYXRzPSZwX3B2PSZ wX2N2PSZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PXBhc3Nwb3J0I HZhbGlkaXR5&p_li=&p_topview=1

And in particular this paragraph
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Six Month Club requirements:

As a general rule, passports must be valid for six months beyond the
date the traveler will exit the U.S., however, the U.S. has signed agreements
with a number of countries to waive this requirement.
When such an agreement is in place, the passport must be valid for
the entire period of the visitor's intended stay, but the additional
six month validity period is not required.[/quote]

There is a clickable link in this paragraph on the website page, and if you follow the link you will find a list of countries exempt from the 6-month rule and the UK is amongst them.

[shazza67]

Thank you all so much! I can stop worrying now [msnsmile2]