How to Travel Better: Passport Edition

September 13, 2016 | By Collette Peck

Imagine you’re at the airport getting checked in to travel on your trip to a fabulous international destination and the airline employee behind the counter explains that you can’t travel out of the country because your passport has less than 90 days validity on it.

Many folks aren’t aware that international countries require that you have to have three to six months validity beyond your travel date on your passport. They assume that they can travel on their passport up until it expires. This used to be true to some destinations, like Mexico, but this has all changed. The reason for this extended validity is often due to unforeseen events, such as a serious illness, that would keep you in the foreign country for an extended amount of time.

Another question many people have is whether or not children need passports. All children, even new born infants, need a passport to travel outside the U.S. We recommend that you locate and examine your passport when making international travel plans, and get the renewal process started immediately if necessary. International airline tickets can be issued prior to obtaining your new passport as long as the name matches exactly as it will appear on the new passport. When your new passport arrives, the new information can be added to the airline record.

Remember that old travel saying “Have passport will travel!”? That is still true, only with a few exceptions. You won’t be able to travel if you can’t locate your passport or it expires within 3-6 months! Happy Travels!