Oh....I really hope I haven't really screwed up. Hubby and I have planned a last minute trip to London (all planned within the last 3 weeks). Just checked my passport and it expires on June 27th. Our trip is from June 5th to the 10th. I just checked the U.S. passport website and it says "some countries" require that your passport be valid 6 months beyond the dates of your trip!! Does anyone know if this includes the UK? HELP!

Why would you want to trust any answer you got on this site for such an important question? Call the nearest British embassy.

sofee:
Call the British Embassy in Washington DC. 202-588-7892. They can tell you.

According to this website, the 6-month requirement does apply to the UK:

http://www.destination-uk.com/tips/passport.htm

So I think you'll need to use a passport service to expedite your renewal.

Where do you live? Practically every large US city has a "next day" passport service for around $150.

I took my pictures and passport application along with my almost expired passport to the "Get it Quik" office here in Dallas, TX at 9:00am and they had my passport back the following day at 3:00pm

AFAIK, UK does not lay down a set period of passport validy, other than it should cover the intended period of stay. If you are traveling with a roundtrip ticket, that fact alone usually suffices as evidence of intended date of return. But as others have said, it'd do no harm to speak to the consulate, just to be safe.

I really appreciate those of you taking time to respond to my panic! I have emailed the New York office of "visit britain". I also have the phone # for the embassy in DC (they were closed...so I 'll try in the morning). In the meantime, I went to americanpassport.com and downloaded all the necessary forms to do an "urgent expedition" of our renewals (1-2 business days). So that I will be prepared in the event the embassy tells me to renew before we leave.

Thanks again!

Just wanted to add for Snoopy...I just wish our closest passport office wasn't in Boston...nearly 200 miles from here.

Thanks!

Hello,

I just wanted to update in case anyone else finds themselves in this same spot. I called the Embassy in Washington and was told to call the consular generals office in New York (212-745-0202). I never was able to get a live person on the phone, nor did any of the voice menu options seem appropriate for my question.

I found a website where I was able to use a chatroom to talk to a representative of the British Tourist Authority. He says that the 6 month requirement applies to visas only. That my passport is fine as long as it is valid upon my return to the U.S.

I am going to call the New York office again at 2 pm which is when they take "general questions" just to verify.

Again, Thanks!

Most larger Post Offices now provide Passport service. Photos and all. Just check the box for expedited service. You should have it within a week. Good Luck.

Returned Thursday from Scotland on a passport that expires in September with no problems. I did apply for a renewal on Friday, though, in preparation for our next trip to Grand Cayman in July.

I have heard if you travel on an inclusive tour, the company may require a passport that does not expire. I think that the UK isn't fussy as long as you have a return ticket and your passport is from a country where people go home and not stay as illegal immigrants (Japan, USA, Canada are probably safe, Latvia, Nigeria may be under more scrutiny).

Netherlands does have a 6 month policy. So they are, in effect, changing your expiration date to six months earlier!. France, I believe, has a 3 month policy.

My passport expires in November, and I'll be in the U.K. during July. I, too, encountered a vague reference to Britain requiring 6 months valid passport from "some countries." I did all the research I could, afraid to send off my passport to be renewed only 5 weeks before departure (as a professor, those 150 dollar fees before a long-ish international trip are to be avoided.) Neither the British Counsulates, the British Embassy, VisitBritain.com, provided an answer to what must be a common question. It is impossible to reach any person at the Embassy and Counsulates by phone--their automated system is daunting (the Denver counsulate warns the listener that unless it is a life and death issue on thepart of a British citizen, they cannot deal with anything which is not business-related). The website also doesn't answer the question or tell you whom to contact.

I finally went through all my guidebooks and the only relevant reference I could find was that people with Australian and New Zealand passports must have them valid for at least 6 months (Let's Go: London).

I wish that I could get an official reply from some authority.

I've been through all publicly-available Home Office Immigration sites and haven't been able to find any reference to minimum validity period for passports. All it says is that visitors should submit a valid passport, and normally be admitted for up to six months. So if a passport valid only for further 3 months is submitted at entry, you can still get 6 months permission to enter. If you stay longer than your passport is valid for, you are responsible for renewing your passport while you are in UK. This is how it reads to me.

Lilybart,

Your experience has been my experience as well. My sister works for a major airline in their reservations department. She checked their computer system regarding entry requirements and found that it said, "valid passport for the length of your stay". That along with what I have learned from the British Tourist Authority, I have put this issue at rest. I will be leaving my house in about 3 hours for my wonderful adventure to London!! I will update when I return.

On a side note...I DO understand that there are some requirements for this 6 month validity as it is posted on the U.S. gov't passport info site. However, I truly feel that some of these express passport services websites seem to pressure or scare you into expediting passport renewals for these extortionist-like fees.

Renew passport at American Embassy in London!

Back from the U.K.!! My passport got nary a glance from the customs agents. The only time I got a comment was from a gate agent for Air Canada in London that simply remarked it was expiring soon.

Thanks everyone!

I faced something similar last year, visiting the US and finding out 3 days before that my passport would expire 3 weeks after returning from my trip. The US requires you to have a passport that's valid for 6 months after the visit! Managed to sort it out just in time.