6 Months Passport Validity

[travelislife]

So effectively we get a 9.5 year passport.

I really do not see the issue entering a country with 3 months validity on my passport and a ticket out of there in 2 weeks time. Why 6 months?

No. It is valid 10 years. It is nothing to do with the issuing country. It really is a misleading article.

As stated it is all to do with the country you are entering and their own rules and regulations.

 

[Jack_OC]

If you hold an EU passport, even expired, but are still an EU citizen, you can enter the EU. I checked this out on my last trip. It probably will not be simple but that's the general rule - a citizen can always return to their country of citizenship. Mind you an airline might not be so happy to take you there!

This is technically true, but you need to prove that you are an EU citizen, and if you don't have a valid EU passport it's debatable whether you can prove that. Firstly, just because you used to be an EU citizen, it doesn't mean you still are - for example some EU countries prohibit dual citizenship, meaning you have to renounce that citizenship if you want to take up Aussie citizenship. Secondly, it can be a challenge to convince someone that you are the same person as the person in the photo taken 10+ years ago! I had that exact problem entering Hungary from within the EU on an EU passport that was (just about) still valid!!

I also had a problem with a similar but different issue. There is an agreement between the UK and Ireland that allows passport-free travel between the two countries, but only for British or Irish citizens. Consequently I never used to carry my passport when travelling between London and Dublin - I just showed my driving licence. I stupidly told my wife about this "convenience" (she's Aussie born and bred but a British citizen). On one occasion on arrival in DUB, she showed her UK driving licence but made the mistake of talking to the guy on the desk. On hearing her accent he demanded to see a passport. Queue a long almost Monty Python-esque debate. "Yes, it's correct that you can travel from London to Dublin without a passport, but only if you can prove you are a British or Irish citizen. A UK driving licence does not prove you are British". "So how do I prove I'm British?". "For example, by showing a UK passport". "So I need to show my passport, in order to prove that I'm entitled to travel without my passport"......

The lesson for me was never take any chances, unless you enjoy being hassled by immigration officials.

 

[Quickstatus]

I have travelled to US with 1 month to expiry from end of 90 day visa waiver. No questions asked

 

[Simo]

The whole 6 month thing doesn't make sense to me so really your passport only has about 9 and a half years validity.

 

[travelislife]

The whole 6 month thing doesn't make sense to me so really your passport only has about 9 and a half years validity.

No. As stated above your passport is valid for 10 years. It is nothing to do with the issuing country!!! Where you can use it depends on the regulations of the country you are going to. Every country is different, some have the 6 month requirement, others don't.

A good way to check which ones do is through TIMATIC which can be accessed through the following link: Visa And Health - Star Alliance