quik

Hi everybody,

My passport will expire in 4 months time and I have just been granted a Entry Clearance Visa til end of the year. I have read from many websites and heard from many people that if your passport expires in 6 months, you can't enter the UK. FYI, I have a work permit more for 18 months, and have just been granted the Entry Clearance Visa which expires end of the year. My return ticket is on Apr.

Do you think there will be a problem entering the country? I didn't know my passport has to be at least 6 months valid!

nospam

Be safe and contact the UK authorities for the best, legitimate, up-to-date advice. After all, if you run into problems, I doubt that you could explain things to the authorities with "But irod123.45 on Fodors.com said I would be FINE..."

quik

I will definitely check with the embassy tomorrow, but i just wanted to check coz i'm nervous and I wanna sleep tight tonight!

AAFrequentFlyer

It would help to know what passport are you holding?

For US passports, according to the official UK tourist site:

<i>As an American citizen traveling to the UK, you need a <b>valid</b> passport, a round-trip ticket and spending money!</i>

http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-en-U...passports.aspx

Notice the <b>valid</b> part, and no mention of 6 months.

That's the official statement. The unofficial truth is that UK will accept expired (no longer than 6 months) US passports. Been there, done that. I would not recommend doing that as it does involve extra &quot;time&quot; with the friendly UK immigration officals.

The 6 months expiration rule is VERY much true for any country that requires a visa from a US citizen. It is not enforced AT ALL by any country that does not require a visa from a US citizen.

Others will tell you differently, but that's the fact....

ira

Hi q,

My experience has been that the UK will accept a passport that still has 90 days to go.

quik

I'm holding a Malaysian passport. When I check the checklist given when applying the Visa, it says Valid passport, but doesn't say less than 6 months! But when I check the checklist for student visa, it specifically says the passport has to be at least 6 months valid.

flanneruk

You MUST contact your nearest UK embassy or High Commission immediately. More importantly, you should also contact your own passport agency

Britain doesn't impose minimum validity rules on non-visa nationals. A Malaysian or American arriving in Britain for a holiday with only one day left on his passport is totally straightforward, as long as he convinces the immigration official he'll leave tomorrow.

Britain DOES impose minimum passport validity rules though on nationalities who need a visa. Like Bangladeshis.

But since the end of 2005, there's a third category. People from countties that normally don't visas (like Malaysia or America) now need pre-clearance for extended stays here. It's not at all clear from the rules if that means the minimum passport validity rules apply in your case.

Your position is quite unusual, and it's also possible the IND haven't updated all their websites and printed checklists. Which is why it's rarely a good idea to ask advice from chatrooms like this. Only the IND - or possibly a diplomatic post - will be able to give you a definitive answer.

But it's an even better idea to renew your passport.

quik

I contact the Visa Facilitation Service which is an agency that helps in the Visa issuance here in Malaysia. I asked them again, and they said it's worth a try because you have a Visa, and your return ticket says Apr 06, before your passport expires in Jun 06. Somehow I wasn't convinced. I decided to postpone my trip (and I am thinking my manager won't be happy, but what's done, is done) and get my passport done first thing Monday. Should be able to fly out on Tuesday.

Anyway, thanks for everybody's reply here. Fodor's is quite something!

flanneruk

Quik:

Just out of interest. You seem to be seeking everyone's advice here except the people who actually know - the High Commission in KL.

They've been open all day today. Why haven't you just phoned them?

quik

I did try calling the High Commission, but it was it went to voicemail all day. I guess I should've visited the High Comm instead but would they entertain enquiries as they clearly stated that Visa etc should direct to VFS.

walkinaround

from my casual observation (and for what it's worth) UK immigration is noticably stricter as compared to one or two years ago. i would imagine that nationals of such countries as the US or EU nations were given much benefit of the doubt in the past. today it is not uncommon for even UK passport holders to be taken aside and questioned upon entry (or stopped by UK agents when boarding a heathrow bound jet in far-flung places). i would not take any chances.

flanneruk

quik:

Jut as I suspected. Have I got this straight?

We change the rules. We publish contradictory sets of information about what documents those rules require. Then our High Commission won't interpret them - but refers you to a third party that seems not to have clear information.

And we're doing this, not to some potential illegal immigrant, but to a customer. Education is a major revenue earner for this country, and Malaysia's one of the major target markets.

Makes you want to weep. Next time I bump into the Foreign Secretary on a country walk, I'll have a go at him.