Hi guys!

Up until this afternoon, I have never heard of a 3 month validity requirement for your passport upon entering France. This afternoon, while doing airport/transport research on the French airport site, I found reference to just that. There's no mention of this in Fodor's. I called and United Airlines is unaware of any requirement. My husband's passport is valid now, but expires at the end of March, and I'm hyperventilating - because we're leaving for Paris TOMORROW! (it was a surprise to me until yesterday, and I'd hate to be in Paris alone ()

Does anyone know anything about this?

Thanks so very much for any help you can spare,

Stephanie

I think you better renew it quickly!!

Uh, oh... I just saw that you leave tomorrow... I think you might be alone.

I checked on the website for the French Embassy in the US. http://www.info-france-usa.org/visit...ce/usvisas.asp

For short stay (up to 90 days), it says "You DO NOT need visa (only a valid passport)" with no mention of expiration.

Further down the page, under long stays, it discusses the requirement for a visa and "a passport signed and valid 3 months after the last day of stay".

Technically, you do need a passport that is valid for 90 days. But you might get a break since you have a round-trip ticket that will get him back before it expires and if you (1) proceed calmly and non-guilty-looking as if you had not learned this and (2) bring along a printout of the following page, which is the official French Embasy web site and which doe not mention the 90-day passport validity requirement.

Ooops. not only did I forget to include the link, but carroll beat me to it! Good luck!

if your return ticket is obviously before that date i really wouldn´t worry about it even though perhaps it is a requirement. the fact united doesn't even know about it for non stop flights is unusual since the airlines where flights originate from are required by immigration to check any country requirements before letting you get on plane.. (ex: visa requirements for foreigners, VALID U.S. passport,etc).

that said... delta let my 25 yr old daughter fly to spain on her 20 yr. old brother's passport. ( no, they don't have the same hair cut).
that was a mess since she left the day before we did with her brother! ( he had another passport (dual nationality) and they let him on with that one in cvg since he would be able to enter spain with it, but could not guarantee ord would. technically he is never to use it in the USA)

i know you are concerned.. but there is nothing you can do about it, and i doubt it is put into practice much.

if you did have problem, perhaps local consulate and /or embassy can help. take phone number with you to be able to call from airport.

good luck

It's too late to do anything about it now and it's difficult to offer any good advice. Your itinerary will show that you are leaving France before the passport expires (I presume). For what it's worth, I don't think they ever even stamped my passport until about the 12th time I went through CDG. It doesn't look like United is going to stop you from boarding. You can either roll the dice or eat the re-booking fees. Tough choice.

If United lets you on the plane you will probably get through. Reason being, if you show up at CDG and they deny entry, United get slapped with a big fat fine. They barely glance at my passport at CDG so I doubt you will have a problem there. Just be sure and have your return ticket easily accesible in the event of any questions,

Have a great trip!

Yargb, I'm betting you'll be ok. I did it in the summer with less than 90 days and didn't have a problem. Nobody mentioned it.

If you weren't leaving tomorrow I'd tell you to renew ASAP. But since it's too late, I would go on and act like you don't know anything about this requirement.

I read on another thread saying a Fodorite was questioned about not having enough time on his/her passport, so they showed the return ticket and were admitted into the country. Good luck, and please post back on this thread when you get back home. Hopefully, you won't be back home later tomorrow evening.... ;-)

It is up to the airline in the US to make sure that one has the proper credentials to travel out of the country and consequently be able to return again.

If one has a problem it will be leaving the US. It is up to the traveler to have the proper documentation.

Not to be negative but talking to some represenative at United over the phone is not the final conclusion.

But if at the airport United allows your husband to board the flight to France then he will be able to return to the US.

I sure wish both of you the best of luck. Life gets so bogged down in details it is difficult to keep track of everything.

Thanks everyone for sharing the benefit of your knowledge!

I've since called the French consulate in Los Angeles (who said it would be fine, but one never knows about clear communication over the telephone) and spoken with United International Reservations 2 more times (up through a management level - and they've noted my reservation). I feel somewhat reassured at this point, but I'll be sure to post with the end of the story. I'll also be sure to get his passport renewed immediately upon return - just in case! It never occurred to me that he would plan such a romantic surprise - hence the surprise nature, I suppose!

Kindest regards,
Stephanie

Good luck, Stephanie! It sounds like you will be fine. Please post the outcome upon your return -- it would be very helpful here!

Trip update!

Well, we had no problems with my husband's passport - no one questioned its validity at all. We are thoroughly enjoying our lovely, albeit COLD, Parisian getaway!

Bon soir,
Stephanie

Stephanie, thanks for the good news on a day that it is beginning to snow AGAIN!!!
Welcome back and thanks for the update.

Thanks for the update! It is supposed to be even colder tomorrow and monday! It wont warm up until wednesday and we may get snow on monday or tuesday. Glad it all went well.

Stephanie, how nice to hear that everything went all right for you two! I am sorry that you had that worry. I rather worried too that perhaps there might be a problem. Thank goodness there wasn't.
Enjoy your trip.

I have heard some countries in Asia require a few months (like 6) left on your passport before they even issue a Visa. However, I had a near miracle this past Christmas. Armed with ticket to Hong Kong, I arrived at the airline counter to find that my passport has expired. My husband and I were on a business/leisure trip for 5 days. Long story short, counter guy said to call local congress man to help. I rolled my eyes. 2 days before Christmas and I dont even know who my congressman is. OK he got me a flight on the next morning. I had no choice - cry or try.
I took pictures for the passport and we drove 2 1/2 hours to Los Angeles from San Diego. In the car I called 411 for the numbers of some senator/congress people that I remember hearing mudslinging during elections. Many were gone for the holidays. I reached a staff member of a congress man. I gave my most heart felt pitch - he said you're not in my jurisdiction ! OK, never mind. He said he'll call me back.
He called back and said that the passport office will call me. What ??? I have tried calling them 12 times and never got a live person. Now they will call me ? Before he even hung up, I see a call coming in - I don't get many cell calls. Lo and behold, it is the passport office telling me to be there by a certain time and to ask for Mr. ??
and basically I had a on the spot appointment that usually takes 3 days.
I got my renewel by 3 pm, and stayed in LA and got on the flight. I can't tell you how grateful I was to this guy whom I was only a voice on the phone.
I was so glad to be able to reschedule my overseas appointment for the next day as they were closing for the holidays

So it is something useful to keep in mind - there is a force out there that can make things happen.

f1reddie, Wow, that is quite a story! I would have been a nervous wreck. For sure you got people that were more then helpful. And of course you worked at getting your promblem straightened out. Shall I assume the first thing you did when you got on your flight was to order a drink? LOL. I imagine you needed.