Many of us are itching to travel again after being cooped up for a year of Covid-19 lockdowns. And based on my bookings, the demand for international travel has started to rise significantly. Just this week, I waved goodbye to a group of XOOM Tours’ travelers going to Dubai and the Maldives, along with another group heading to Croatia. And next week I’m leaving for a trip to St. John and a couple days after I return, I’m off to Morocco. The one thing all these trips have in common – passports.
Very Important!
Not only do passports expire, but there are other very important conditions that may make your passport invalid.
Pre-Covid-19, I was working with a client who wanted to travel internationally and leave the following month.
Everyone was excited until I found out her spouse’s passport expired in three months. She thought it would not be a problem since they’d be back in the U.S. before it ‘officially expired’.
Unfortunately, the countries they wanted to travel to, like most countries, require passports to be valid 6 months BEYOND your dates of travel in order to guarantee entry.
Four very important things to confirm on your passport!
- Six-Month Validity Requirement – Let’s take a closer look at this detail. What is your passport’s “Date of Expiration”? Most countries require a passport to have six months of validity, BEYOND the dates of your travel. Also, many airlines will not let you board if you don’t meet this requirement. You can renew at any time, but it is recommended you do it nine months to a year before it expires.
- Blank Pages – Many countries like Canada, Mexico, Peru, the United Kingdom, Italy and Iceland require at least one blank passport page for valid entry. Several others like China, Belgium, Norway, Portugal, and India require two full blank pages. If you show up without the required empty pages, you can literally be turned away. Keep in mind the last two pages of a U.S. Passport do not qualify as visa pages. So if you need a visa, make sure you have an empty page with “visa” at the top.
- New Passport, New Visas – When your passport expires, even if your visas are still valid, many countries won’t recognize a valid visa in an expired passport. China, India, Saudi Arabia and Brazil are the exceptions, but you’ll have to carry both the new and expired passports.
- Face Tattoo or Face Surgery – This applies if someone has been in an accident resulting in major facial surgery that alters their appearance, or those that may have added facial tattoos or piercings that significantly alter their appearance. You’ll need to renew your passport and passport photo.
Did you know your passport has a tiny microchip inside?
Most people are surprised to learn there’s a tiny microchip in their passport. The chip is embedded inside the cover of all U.S. Passports issued since 2007. It holds a copy of your personal contact information found on the photo page of your passport. It’s used by an immigration official to read the data and confirm it matches with the information that’s inside. The purpose of the chip is to prevent someone from altering the picture or forging any of the information.
Other fun facts about passports!
- Most of the world’s passport covers are RED. There are many different shades, but red is the most common for passports. Other common colors are blue, green and black.
- Citizens of the Vatican state in Italy (smallest country in the world) have their own country passport. You will not be able to have your passport stamped there because they do not have immigration or border control points.
- There was once an Iranian man who lived in an airport in France for 17 years due to failing to present a passport to French immigration officials. This story was the inspiration for the Steven Spielberg film, The Terminal.
- The only person in the world who is not required to carry a passport when traveling abroad is Queen Elizabeth II. The British Passport is issued by ‘Her Majesty’, the Queen. Therefore, the Queen does not carry one that otherwise would have to be issued to herself! All other members of the Royal Family, however, have passports.
Even though passports are valid for ten years, the time can go by quickly, and you may find your passport is expired when you need it most. If you’d like to travel but discovered your passport is expiring or expired, I can help.
The world is opening back up. Where would you like to go? I have a few destinations in mind…Slovenia, Morocco, Maldives, Croatia, Costa Rica, Argentina or Turks & Caicos! In fact, anywhere sounds amazing right about now!! :>
As you continue to dream about traveling, remember to take care, wash your hands and stay healthy!
