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This is news to me.
I thought that for international travel, besides needing a visa and immunizations for certain countries, that you only needed to ensure your passport wouldn't expire during your trip. For good measure, having a buffer of a few extra weeks seemed wise.
Now I've found out that many European countries require your passport to be valid for 3 months after your planned departure date. Many other countries won't let you enter unless your passport's expiration date is at least 6 months in the future.
Which Countries Require Multiple Months of Passport Validity?
It must not have used to be that way. One time in my teens, my passport expired in the middle of a trip to Germany, and I had to get it renewed at a consulate or embassy over there.
.
An uncle of mine in Germany passed away this Thursday. He was old and not in the best of health, so it wasn't very unexpected.
I was considering this morning the feasibility of a last-minute trip to Germany for the funeral and to visit with my few remaining German relatives. And that maybe this is why something kept me from sending in my passport renewal this last week. Once I send it in, I'll be without a passport for 4 to 6 weeks until the new one is sent to me. The current one is still good through August, so I thought that would still allow for a trip before then.
But no, with the 3 month rule, my current passport isn't good enough.
Regular passport renewals cost $110. Expedited passport service (3 weeks) costs $60 extra, plus about $30 for overnight delivery charges. Private companies offer faster service up to the same business day for an extra $250 beyond that.
I suppose all those extra fees, in addition to how much a last-minute flight would cost, isn't worth it for a funeral. It's unfortunate though, as Qiao has the summer off this year (he's an instructor), and could have come with me for a trip now. Later in the year he won't be able to.
.
Dagnabit travel restrictions.
It seems a definite flaw that you can't use your current passport while you're in the process of getting it renewed. You're stuck in the mud if you send your passport in for the regular or even the expedited renewal service, and then find out that you need to make an emergency trip in the mean time.
Furthermore, you can't apply for expedited service unless you have proof of travel plans such as plane tickets. So you have to buy your plane tickets before even being sure that you'll get your passport renewed in time to use the tickets. You can't apply for expedited service just in case you might need to travel 2 or 3 weeks from now.
Soooo. 6 months advance plus 2 months processing time = Send your passport in for renewal at least 8 months before its expiration date, and during a time when it's unlikely for any unexpected trips to become necessary. (Yep, you're supposed to know when unexpected things are unlikely to happen.)
I thought that for international travel, besides needing a visa and immunizations for certain countries, that you only needed to ensure your passport wouldn't expire during your trip. For good measure, having a buffer of a few extra weeks seemed wise.
Now I've found out that many European countries require your passport to be valid for 3 months after your planned departure date. Many other countries won't let you enter unless your passport's expiration date is at least 6 months in the future.
Which Countries Require Multiple Months of Passport Validity?
It must not have used to be that way. One time in my teens, my passport expired in the middle of a trip to Germany, and I had to get it renewed at a consulate or embassy over there.
.
An uncle of mine in Germany passed away this Thursday. He was old and not in the best of health, so it wasn't very unexpected.
I was considering this morning the feasibility of a last-minute trip to Germany for the funeral and to visit with my few remaining German relatives. And that maybe this is why something kept me from sending in my passport renewal this last week. Once I send it in, I'll be without a passport for 4 to 6 weeks until the new one is sent to me. The current one is still good through August, so I thought that would still allow for a trip before then.
But no, with the 3 month rule, my current passport isn't good enough.
Regular passport renewals cost $110. Expedited passport service (3 weeks) costs $60 extra, plus about $30 for overnight delivery charges. Private companies offer faster service up to the same business day for an extra $250 beyond that.
I suppose all those extra fees, in addition to how much a last-minute flight would cost, isn't worth it for a funeral. It's unfortunate though, as Qiao has the summer off this year (he's an instructor), and could have come with me for a trip now. Later in the year he won't be able to.
.
Dagnabit travel restrictions.
It seems a definite flaw that you can't use your current passport while you're in the process of getting it renewed. You're stuck in the mud if you send your passport in for the regular or even the expedited renewal service, and then find out that you need to make an emergency trip in the mean time.
Furthermore, you can't apply for expedited service unless you have proof of travel plans such as plane tickets. So you have to buy your plane tickets before even being sure that you'll get your passport renewed in time to use the tickets. You can't apply for expedited service just in case you might need to travel 2 or 3 weeks from now.
Soooo. 6 months advance plus 2 months processing time = Send your passport in for renewal at least 8 months before its expiration date, and during a time when it's unlikely for any unexpected trips to become necessary. (Yep, you're supposed to know when unexpected things are unlikely to happen.)
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Date: 2015-07-03 06:57 am (UTC)From: