Comments on: Reality check: Passport life is 9.5 years, not 10

By: Almost American

Almost American — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:14:34 +0000

They’ll still serve as valid identification, though. Most of the time. I remember being refused entry to a bar one time because the bouncer claimed he had no way of knowing if my non-US passport was a forgery or not. The only form of ID he was prepared to accept was a local driver’s license!

There used to be a time when the UK would only renew passports within 3 months of expiry, while at the same time the US required that my passport be valid for at least 6 months at all times. I tried to renew my UK passport early and they wouldn’t let me. Now the 9.5 year passport seems to be standard everywhere

By: nerdseyeview (pam mandel)

nerdseyeview (pam mandel) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:59:39 +0000

Twitter Comment

yeah, you should check the expiration date on your passport. i'm gonna go look at mine right NOW. [link to post]

- Posted using Chat Catcher

By: Andy Hayes | Sharing Travel Experiences

Andy Hayes | Sharing Travel Experiences — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:41:52 +0000

Great point – I thought everyone knew about the 6 month rule, but I guess I take it for granted since I travel a lot

By: LMI

LMI — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:17:37 +0000

I renewed early because of the 6 months rule and the new passport began my new 10 years from the date of application, rather from the expiration date of the old passport. Makes me feel like this is coming out at less than 9.5 years over the long run.

By: Family Travel Links for 2.12.10 « SixSuitcaseTravel

Family Travel Links for 2.12.10 « SixSuitcaseTravel — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:32:53 +0000

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By: brian | No Debt World Travel

brian | No Debt World Travel — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:05:06 +0000

You must of read my mind because I was going to write about this myself. My passport is up in July and I’m getting ready to renew now. 9.5 years is actually right!

By: Jeff G

Jeff G — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:51:24 +0000

I think the airlines are also more dilligent about the requirement (which doesn’t help the traveller if they aren’t aware of it), since if a flier is denied entry at the foreign country the airline is on the hook to get them back.

IIRC, the logic for the six months in most countries is that it is often the longest a visitor can still be a “visitor,” not an immigrant, and they want to make sure the visitors can go back home.

By: The Global Traveller

The Global Traveller — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:57:40 +0000

Good warning. I regularly see people who have been caught out by the 6 months remaining validity rule.

In my case passport validity is about 2 years, since my country has a rule that only the original 48 pages can be used (no adding extra pages later).