PSA: Check your passport (Americans going to Europe 2018)

curmudgeoness · December 2017

Take it from someone who learned the hard way -- my husband was turned away at passport control in Munich in 2014, and we missed all of the Europe shows for which we had tickets (so much for that 20th-anniversary celebration). If your passport expires less than six months after the date on your return ticket, you will not be allowed through passport control. I was advised that it is best to renew your passport if it expires in less than one year.

So, I suggest that you make this part of your travel preparations.

lotsalemon · December 2017

curmudgeoness said:

Take it from someone who learned the hard way -- my husband was turned away at passport control in Munich in 2014, and we missed all of the Europe shows for which we had tickets (so much for that 20th-anniversary celebration). If your passport expires less than six months after the date on your return ticket, you will not be allowed through passport control. I was advised that it is best to renew your passport if it expires in less than one year.

So, I suggest that you make this part of your travel preparations.

Excellent info. It's easy to forget these "minor" things!

PJNB · December 2017

Saw this happen on a cruise ship. Good advice and stupid rule imo. Sorry that happened to you guys.

WindowPaine · December 2017

i've heard/read this 6 month thing many times. why? your passport isn't expired so why can't it be used? technically my passport 'expires' 6 months before the date then, right? i don't get it. anyone know why this is?

lexicondevil · December 2017

That is messed up. Thank you for sharing this information. I had never heard of this ridiculous "rule".

lotsalemon · December 2017

Info here, under How long is a passport valid and is it true that it needs to have at least 6 months of validity remaining?

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/faqs.html

lastexitlondon · December 2017

Great advice and easy to over look.

curmudgeoness · December 2017

What I was told -- and I don't know if it's true -- is that the US started requiring that passports be valid for 3-6 months beyond a visitor's stated date of departure, and so the countries that are party to the Schengen agreement responded in kind.

Country information can be found here. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html We landed in Munich, and Germany is very serious about that six-month rule. I think my husband missed the cutoff by a week. :-(

curmudgeoness · December 2017

Oh, and as to why: Again, I'm guessing. Schengen countries allow you (an American) to stay for up to 90 days without a visa. My guess is it's a rule established to avoid illegal immigration. But, having spent time in a detention room, I tend to agree that it sure feels like a stupid rule when you just wanted to celebrate your anniversary and see PJ.

KP_McMinn · December 2017

curmudgeoness said:

Take it from someone who learned the hard way -- my husband was turned away at passport control in Munich in 2014, and we missed all of the Europe shows for which we had tickets (so much for that 20th-anniversary celebration). If your passport expires less than six months after the date on your return ticket, you will not be allowed through passport control. I was advised that it is best to renew your passport if it expires in less than one year.

So, I suggest that you make this part of your travel preparations.

This is accurate so take heed. I was recently denied traveling to Singapore for business because my passport was not valid for more than 6 months. Missed the whole trip, nothing i could do. So yes, it is real and you cant talk your way into the country. Get them renewed. Dont wait either.

Suziemay · December 2017

This is fairly common, although I'm not sure why. I never travel with less than 6 months validity on my passport. No exceptions.

oftenreading · December 2017

I'm a Canadian who travels fairly frequently to the US. When my passport got within 6 months of expiry, suddenly I started to have more trouble crossing into the US. I was never denied, but I got rejected every time by the automatic passport scan machines and had a more thorough discussion with the Customs officials. The problem was, I had no idea why, because no one ever said what the issue was. It took several runs through this before I asked what was going on.

Moral of this thread - always make sure you have more than six clear months left on your passport before you travel. Anywhere.

cutz · December 2017

That sucks that happened. Those who need that info should appreciate it. Nice info.

How/where, can you get a Passport? (If by some Miracle i can get over to Europe, i'll need one)

Micheyb21 · December 2017

I believe that it came in as a general rule when majority of countries started to do evisas and visas on arrival and it was a way of ensuring that if something happened whilst on your holiday and your passport then expired in the meantime there would be cushion to ensure you went back home with an in date document- it would run a greater risk of overstaying in that country of your passport was then no longer valid. I have however travelled when i only had 3 months left on my passport to Italy several years ago however they were more lapse because both EU countries so not such a major problem. I dont think they would allow it now because of security threat levels.

pearljim · December 2017

bump!

2-feign-reluctance · December 2017

Suziemay said:

This is fairly common, although I'm not sure why. I never travel with less than 6 months validity on my passport. No exceptions.

hauntingfamiliar · December 2017

cutz said:

That sucks that happened. Those who need that info should appreciate it. Nice info.

How/where, can you get a Passport? (If by some Miracle i can get over to Europe, i'll need one)

post office

cutz · December 2017

hauntingfamiliar said:

cutz said:

That sucks that happened. Those who need that info should appreciate it. Nice info.

How/where, can you get a Passport? (If by some Miracle i can get over to Europe, i'll need one)

post office

Thanks

derbydave · December 2017

My passport expires in February, and a renewal is already in the works!!
Stoked for my 2 shows in London. :rock_on:

cutz · January 2018

I got my passport.

So, when i booked my flights it said that i "may" need a Visa? I checked the Countries i'm going to on this website https://visacentral.com/?login=85001&utm_campaign=expedia&utm_medium=1&utm_source=us&rfrr=flt.itin.visasite

This website is telling me i do NOT need a Visa for the Countries(UK, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany & Iceland) i'll be traveling in. Is this website reliable? or does someone know if i need a Visa for those Countries i'll be in?

Appreciate the HELP.

PJForceofNature · January 2018

curmudgeoness said:

Take it from someone who learned the hard way -- my husband was turned away at passport control in Munich in 2014, and we missed all of the Europe shows for which we had tickets (so much for that 20th-anniversary celebration). If your passport expires less than six months after the date on your return ticket, you will not be allowed through passport control. I was advised that it is best to renew your passport if it expires in less than one year.

So, I suggest that you make this part of your travel preparations.

Thanks so much for this valuable info! I'll be traveling to Europe in June, and just noticed my passport expires in May of this year!

PSA: Check your passport (Americans going to Europe 2018)

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