What Is the Six Month Passport Validity? And Which Countries Enforce It?

Every passport has a clearly defined expiry date. Before leaving for your next international trip, you must note that date as many countries require your passport to be valid for more than six months before that expiry date. This is called the Six Month Passport Validity.

What Is the Six Month Passport Validity?

Certain countries require your passport to be valid for six-months prior to its expiry date. This rule ensures that the visitor’s passport will be valid for the entire possible duration of his or her stay in that country.

If you are entering a country and your passport will expire within the next 6 months, these countries (at the immigration counter after getting off the airplane) will deny your entry.

Knowing this, be sure to renew your passport more than six months before its expiry date, around 8 to 9 months, to cushion the time to make the appointment and for the new passport to process.

Which Countries Enforce the Six Month Passport Validity?

North America
Mexico, United States

Central America
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua

South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela

Caribbean
Antigua, Barbuda, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Jamaica, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Tobago

Europe
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Africa
Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Principe, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Middle East
Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Irap, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Gaza Strip, Yemen

Asia
China, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam

South Pacific
French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Bottom Line: While not every country enforces the six-month rule, many do strictly enforce it. So play it safe and renew your passport more than six months before its expiry date whether you have a trip planned or not.

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