Passport problems

[CaptData]

Passport Problems for Canadian couple.

 

His passport was due to expire in 78 days. Forced to return home. Flight went though London (require 6 months before).

 

 

You should always renew before the 6 month end date since this is the max most countries ask for.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/preventable-passport-problem-costs-family-thousands-1.3260678?cmp=rss

Edited October 8, 2015 by CaptData

[TheTruthCanHurt]

Passport Problems for Canadian couple.

 

His passport was due to expire in 78 days. Forced to return home. Flight went though London (require 6 months before).

 

 

You should always renew before the 6 month end date since this is the max most countries ask for.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/preventable-passport-problem-costs-family-thousands-1.3260678?cmp=rss

 

 

I thought this was common knowledge?? it's even on the royal caribbean site

"

Travel Documentation They are subject to change without notice. Royal Caribbean International strongly recommends that all guests travel with a passport that is valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of the cruise. It is the sole responsibility of the guest to identify and obtain all required travel documents for the entire cruise vacation and have them available when necessary. "

[CruisingChick]

So passports are not really good for 10 years, but only 9 1/2 as you need to get it renewed in time so you are not within that 6 month window.

[TheTruthCanHurt]

So passports are not really good for 10 years, but only 9 1/2 as you need to get it renewed in time so you are not within that 6 month window.

 

 

yes. that is correct. it's an odd regulation, but I thought it was common knowledge. It certainly is for my group of friends that travel frequently.

[DonnaK]

It's a rule of the country you are traveling to, not a USA requirement. You should check the info for each country they will be traveling to.

 

For Caribbean cruises, there is no such requirement.

[TheTruthCanHurt]

It's a rule of the country you are traveling to, not a USA requirement. You should check the info for each country they will be traveling to.

 

For Caribbean cruises, there is no such requirement.

 

 

Definitely check with the gov website.

According to them

 

for mexico and st martin you must have a passport valid for at least six months

for belize and grand cayman it must only be valid for length of travel

 

again, it seems to be a bit of a grey area. but..... I am the one that always errors to the side of caution, as opposed to running the risk of being turned away. but ... others may chose the "i know better" scenerio and hope for the best

[Clarea]

So passports are not really good for 10 years, but only 9 1/2 as you need to get it renewed in time so you are not within that 6 month window.

If you are cruising on a closed loop cruise from the US, there's no 6 month requirement. However, if the cruise ends in a foreign country, or you are flying to a foreign country, then you are subject to that country's rules on passports.

Edited October 8, 2015 by clarea

[DonnaK]

Definitely check with the gov website.

According to them

 

for mexico and st martin you must have a passport valid for at least six months

for belize and grand cayman it must only be valid for length of travel

 

again, it seems to be a bit of a grey area. but..... I am the one that always errors to the side of caution, as opposed to running the risk of being turned away. but ... others may chose the "i know better" scenerio and hope for the best

 

It's not "i know better".

 

That info is not for cruise passengers. It is for people flying into those countries, or on a cruise beginning or terminating in one of those countries.

 

In fact, a passport isn't even required for US citizens on close looped Caribbean cruises.

Edited October 8, 2015 by DonnaK

[ruthnewark]

In the UK, when you renew you get the remaining 6 months added back on to the 10 years.

[The Sunset Glow]

In the UK, when you renew you get the remaining 6 months added back on to the 10 years.

 

Well now, that's just the best idea! I wish they did that here in Canada. Up until recently we had to renew our passports every 5 years so that was really 4 1/2. Now we can do 10 years but they don't add on the 6 months:mad:

[reallyitsmema]

The article is about a Canadian couple headed to a French Riviera cruise whose flight had a connection in London. The majority of the replies are discussing rules for US citizens. Bottom line is, check the passport requirements for your own personal situation.

[robtulipe]

So passports are not really good for 10 years, but only 9 1/2 as you need to get it renewed in time so you are not within that 6 month window.

 

It all depends on where you are travelling to. DW went to the UK via Dublin Ireland this pass August and her then Canadian passports was expiring at the end of this month. It only had to be valid for both of these country for the length of her stay their. Saved her from renewing her passport earlier than necessary but we now have new passports for our Freedom cruises we leave for next week.

In fact a Canadian wishing to enter the US can do so with an expired passport as long as it hasn't been expired longer than 6 months as this is an approved document under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

[mjldvlks]

So passports are not really good for 10 years, but only 9 1/2 as you need to get it renewed in time so you are not within that 6 month window.

I think this has probably been talked to death already, but a couple of points,

 

(1) A US passport is good for exactly as long as it says it is . . . it will get you back into the US from anywhere until the expiration date stated on the passport. It is up to other countries to decide the requirements for admission to their respective countries. Some require a passport to be valid for 6 months after the date of entry.that's more like a visa issue than effectiveness of the passport. Also, some that require 6 months for admission do not enforce that rule if you are merely in transit.

 

(2) OP is asking about a Canadian Passport. I don't know the rules for Canada, but I have heard that some countries [NOT the US] will renew a passport by adding on the new term to the expiration date of the old one so you get your full ten years [or whatever term it is good for]. The US passport term begins the date of issuance so the 9 1/2 rule is essentially correct [keeping in mind the qualification that it is not a US law or regulation that effectively limits the term].

[SonicShip]

So passports are not really good for 10 years, but only 9 1/2 as you need to get it renewed in time so you are not within that 6 month window.

 

Your passport is good for travel with in the country that is was issued from until the expiration date.

 

Not all countries have a 6 month expiration rule, some are three months or none. And remember it is from the exit of country or the condition of your visa.

 

Also there is a rule on the number of blank pages. My passport does not have any blank pages, so I will need to get a new passport before I can travel to China for example.

[AWOL]

Your passport is good for travel with in the country that is was issued from until the expiration date.

 

Not all countries have a 6 month expiration rule, some are three months or none. And remember it is from the exit of country or the condition of your visa.

 

Also there is a rule on the number of blank pages. My passport does not have any blank pages, so I will need to get a new passport before I can travel to China for example.

If your passport is not expiring you can have pages added. If I remember correctly it can be done twice. You can also request a new passport with extra pages when renewing or getting a passport.

[mollyeilis]

Passport Problems for Canadian couple.

 

His passport was due to expire in 78 days. Forced to return home. Flight went though London (require 6 months before).

 

 

Actually, according to the article, that wasn't the issue.

 

France required the passport to be good for 3 months from leaving the country. The passport was only good for 78 days from when they would have entered. It was FRANCE, their destination, that was the problem.

 

 

"And unlike France with its 90-day rule, the U.K. requires only that passports be valid at least for the duration of the stay. So Wurster's passport was valid for travel to London, but not to France."

 

 

 

 

http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/france

 

 

http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it's sad how FAST I looked that up (googled "canadian to france passport) and got the answer...they were going to that country, they paid soooo much money, and didn't look it up. Sigh.

 

 

 

 

Oh and if I hadn't gotten on the plane with my son, and hadn't left my hubby, he would be SO mad at me. We are definitely NOT the "we'll all suffer" type of family; DH would have had a grand time in London while we went to France. Or we would have all stayed in London until our flight home. No way would we have gone home.

 

 

Yes, we've had discussions of "what ifs" like this. :)