UK Passport due to expire

[gkjones]

Hi, My husbands UK pasport will expire 7 days after departure from the USA. He has a US Visa that is valid for another 9 years attached to his UK passport. I had a look on the US Embassy website and it said that there is an agreement between the UK and the US that they will allow travel with the unexpired visa and the due to expire UK passport with less than 6 months to run on it. I rang the Embassy to confirm that this was the case and they confirmed it. But, my husband is still worried that there may be a problem on arrival, because he wonders if there is something in writing he can take to show immigration. I have printed off the statement from the US Embassy website to take with us.

If he just had a UK passport, he would definitely have to renew it before we travelled, as it still stands you have to have more than I think it is 6 months left on your UK passport to be allowed to enter the US. Has anyone else been in the same situation with a due to expire UK passport and and valid US Visa attached to it.

We will be going to the US in three weeks. If he sent his old passport off to be renewed with the valid visa in it, he was told he must put a letter with it telling them not to cancel the visa contained in the UK passport, when they cancell the due to expire UK passport. My husband is worried that if he sent off for a new UK passport, the valid visa may get cancelled by mistake.

[CERICROWLEY]

As there is a very short time before you travel, and he will have to renew it when he comes back anyway. I would make an appointment with your local passport office and renew it now before you travel. This way it will take all this undue worry out of it.

[CCollins]

If your husband gets a new passport before he travels - the visa in his old passport will still be valid - but he will have to take both passports with him.

I would get a new passport just to put your mind at rest!

[gkjones]

He is worried that he has left it late in the day to get one now. Doesn't want to post it off so near to us flying. His UK passport will still be valid for a week after we arrive back. When I spoke on the phone with the American Embassy, she assured me that the statement on the website was true and that it had been agreed with the UK to allow travel to the US with less than 6 months left on a valid UK passport in cases where the person has a valid unexpired visa.

I think I will suggest he travels down to the nearest passport office, I am not sure where it is, so will have to find out.

[gkjones]

Just spoken the the UK passport office on the telephone and she confirmed that it was true about the agreement with the US. She said that my husband can travel to and back from the US with less than 6 months left on his passport as long as the UK passport has not expired, but only because he has a Visa. The US would want at least 6 months left if he was just travelling on the UK passport and without a Visa.

[Snapper]

I don't think you've been given the right information there, however I'm going from memory so don't take this as gospel ... but ... my understanding of the rules were that if you travel on the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) you will be granted up to 90 days when you are admitted to the US. If your passport has less than 90 days before it expires the immigration officer will change the number of days you are allowed to remain to match with the expiry date of your passport.

[ellie]

We travelled in September to the US with just 2 months left on our passports - no problem whatsoever. We have no visa. It is not true that you must have at least 6 months left if you travel on a visa waiver. Blott will, I am sure confirm this as it was a question we raised before our trip in September.

However, I would certainly think it sensible to renew the passports ASAP - I believe you can fast track them for an extra charge.

We sent off our passports a week ago last Tuesday and they were returned by post on Wednesday of this week - 8 days. We paid for the Post Office to check them. They are very much fussier over passport photos now and they have to be within certain parameters. I was told that you could not wear spectacles but we used a proper photographic studio who do passport photos all the time and they ensured that there was no reflection. They also had a little gadget to check whether the photo would be acceptable. Do make sure your photos are acceptable as this would delay the process.

[ShirleyD]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Snapper
I don't think you've been given the right information there, however I'm going from memory so don't take this as gospel ... but ... my understanding of the rules were that if you travel on the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) you will be granted up to 90 days when you are admitted to the US. If your passport has less than 90 days before it expires the immigration officer will change the number of days you are allowed to remain to match with the expiry date of your passport.
[/quote]

Yes that is my understanding too. The old six month thing has long since gone.
Just make sure you have proof of his return ticket in case they ask to see it

[dawn burley]

I renewed my children's passports last week and used the Post Office check and send service. It only took 6 days for them to be returned[msnsmile] The biggest problem was getting the photos right, it took three attempts, but the photo shop was to blame there! For anyone renewing children's passports make sure you leave enough time to get them counter signed.

Regarding your situation Karen(gkjones)If you can find the relevant information on the American Embassy website regarding the 6 month rule and print it off it would give you even more peace of mind. That way if anyone were to ask any questions while you were travelling you can refer to this. My husband (who has a US visa) travelled with only a couple of months left on his passport, a couple of years ago, without any problems.

Have a great trip[msnsmile]

Dawn

[Robert5988]

It is normally Travel agents and some airlines that get the 6 month rule wrong(that used to be the case years ago)because they haven't updated their information; but you would think the UK Passport office would know better.

Visa or Visa waiver you can enter and stay in the USA right up until the day before the passport expires. It is all on the US emabassy website.