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Q&A: Is my passport valid? How much time do I need on my passport to be valid for travel?

There is no globally approved time for passport validity. We list which countries require as little as one day to 180 days.

by The Travel Magazine
Passport

Q: How much time do I need on my passport to be valid for travel?

A: Passport validity has become a bain for British travellers because there is no globally approved time. What is considered to be valid depends on where you go. 

Since BREXIT, the rules for British travellers have changed as Britain is now considered a ‘third country’. This means the passport must meet two criteria:

  1. There must be at least three months left from the date of departure from the country.
  2. The passport must have been issued within ten years. 

The Your Europe website has more information.

Some countries like Australia, Canada and the US  require your travel document to be in-date for the duration of your trip, while others, such as India, require 180 days (almost six months).

Some destinations even have rules about how many blank pages you should have in your passport to allow for new immigration stamps.

Passport validity must only cover the time of your intended stay:

ArgentinaIrelandTunisia
AustraliaJamaicaSt Lucia
BarbadosJapanUSA
ChileMauritius
GibraltarMexico

Valid for one day

Costa Rica requires Britons to have one day’s validity from the day of their departure.

Valid for one month/30 days

New Zealand requires your passport to be valid for one month from your date of exit.

Valid for two months

Cuba requires you to have a passport with two months’ validity from your departure date.

Valid for three months

All EU countries, plus those in the Schengen Area (excluding Ireland), require you to have three months left on your passport from the day you plan to leave. Your passport must also be less than ten years old on the day you enter the country. This is true for the following countries:

AndorraGermanyNetherlands
AustriaGreeceNorway
BelgiumHungaryPoland
BulgariaIcelandPortugal
CroatiaItalyRomania
CyprusLatviaSan Marino
Czech RepublicLiechtensteinSlovakia
DenmarkLithuaniaSlovenia
EstoniaLuxembourgSpain
FinlandMaltaSweden
FranceMonacoSwitzerland
Vatican City

Non-European countries that require three months’ validity on your day of departure:

  • The British Virgin IslandsMorocco
    French PolynesiaReunion
    KazakhstanSouth Korea
    LebanonUzbekistan

Valid for six months

Most other countries, including the popular hot spots Maldives, Dubai, Turkey and Israel, require your passport to be valid for six months from the date you arrive in the country. Do check the Foreign Office’s individual entry requirements for the country you’re visiting to make sure.

NOTE: As well as six months validity, Kenya and Madagascar require two blank pages available in your passport. Namibia requires one blank page.

Valid for 180 days + 2 blank pages

Booking.com

1 comment

David Asare Jul 18, 2022 - 5:17 pm

Thank you very much you are always welcome

Reply

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