Passport Expiration

[love2cruisegal]

We will be on a Med cruise in May of 2016. Our passports expire Jan 2017. We will be disembarking in Barcelona on May 28, but will stay 2 extra days in Barcelona and return to US on May 30. Our passports should be good or should we play it safe and renew them?

 

Thanks to any of you who have had this experience.

[Keith1010]

For most areas Passports should be good for six months prior to your return to the USA.

 

You really don't need to renew the passport based on the dates you provided.

 

Keith

[cherylandtk]

Presuming you are traveling on US passports, you will be fine as is. You not only meet the EU/Schengen legal requirement of three months validity but you also have in excess of six months remaining after your return. That's the worst case scenario and you are well within that.

[zqvol]

We will be on a Med cruise in May of 2016. Our passports expire Jan 2017. We will be disembarking in Barcelona on May 28, but will stay 2 extra days in Barcelona and return to US on May 30. Our passports should be good or should we play it safe and renew them?

 

Thanks to any of you who have had this experience.

 

 

Your passports are fine. As long as they are valid on the day you return home there is no worry. Spain is not one of those countries that requires it to be valid for six months after your date of arrival, but in any case yours would qualify anyway.

 

No point in spending the money for a new passport before you have to.

[NMLady]

We will be on a Med cruise in May of 2016. Our passports expire Jan 2017. We will be disembarking in Barcelona on May 28, but will stay 2 extra days in Barcelona and return to US on May 30. Our passports should be good or should we play it safe and renew them?

 

Thanks to any of you who have had this experience.

 

I agree with those who've said that since your passports are good for more than six months past your travel dates, you are fine.

[NMLady]

Your passports are fine. As long as they are valid on the day you return home there is no worry. Spain is not one of those countries that requires it to be valid for six months after your date of arrival ...

 

When did Spain's requirement change? Last time we were there they required passports to be valid for six months past travel dates. We had to expedite renewal of passports because of it since ours at the time were only good for four months past travel dates.

[SadieN]

When did Spain's requirement change? Last time we were there they required passports to be valid for six months past travel dates. We had to expedite renewal of passports because of it since ours at the time were only good for four months past travel dates.

 

Do not know when it changed but the passport needs to be valid three months after your expected return date from the Schengen countries.

Bigger concern is having one completely blank passport page.

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/spain.html

[Capt_BJ]

for those that do not know what the 'Schengen' reference means .....

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html

 

it might be noted that recent actions of some EU countries closing their borders due to migration/refugee issues technically means they have withdrawn from the Schengen agreement.

 

from the State Dept web site:

 

If your passport does not meet the Schengen requirements, you may be refused boarding by the airline at your point of origin or while transferring planes. You could also be denied entry when you arrive in the Schengen area. For this reason, we recommend that your passport have at least six months’validity remaining whenever you travel abroad. You can find passport validity requirements for your destination country, along with other important information, on our Country Specific Information pages. To ensure that your travel plans are not disrupted, plan ahead to renew your passport before traveling. Visit our passport website for more information on applying for a new or renewal passport.

 

 

The European countries that make up the Schengen area are enforcing the requirement that short-term tourism or business visitors’ passports be valid for at least three months beyond the intended date of departure from the Schengen area, though adherence varies from country to country. Some Schengen countries assume all travelers will stay the full three months allowed for visa-free visitors, meaning you may not be admitted unless your passport is valid for at least six months, regardless of the duration of your stay. This requirement may also apply if you are transiting a Schengen airport for several hours en route to a non-Schengen destination.

 

 

If you are a U.S. citizen with a valid U.S. passport traveling for tourism or business, you can apply to enter the Schengen area without a visa for a period of three months within each six-month period. If you spend three months in the Schengen area during any six-month period, you must wait another three months before you can apply to enter the Schengen area again without a visa.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Capt_BJ

[sail7seas]

 

Renew them. Worth it to me to have peace of mind in case something should arise that keeps you abroad longer than expected.

 

Lose a few months validity and also lose any stress about expiration dates.

 

Edited September 20, 2015 by sail7seas

[love2cruisegal]

Thanks everyone for your replies. We are confident now that our passports should be good.