I am going to Spain & Portugal in May. My passport expires in July. Will I run in to any problem because it's so close to the expiration date?

could so why not renew now - reports have passport services taking up to ten weeks - go to your post office for forms.
Technically i think some countries require passports to be good for 3 months or so after you arrive but not clear on Spain of Portugal.

I am fairly certain that you need a passport to be valid for 6 months past your return date, so you will not be able to travel in May on a passport that expires in July. It must be good to aleast November. Weird rule, but I am pretty sure thats the way it works.

Hi J,

I suggest that you apply for a new passport, stat.

Most countries say you should have 6 mos beyond your departure date.

Most Immigration agents accept 90 days after you arrive. That's because you will usually be allowed to visit for 90 days without a visa.

30 days is cutting it close. They really don't want you hanging around on an expired passport.

PS,

Pay for expedited service.

There have been reports of it taking 10 weeks to renew recently.

It has to be valid for 3 months after your departure date

http://www.expedia.co.uk/daily/wg/P42887.asp
and several other pages

Thanks All. I was hoping someone say I would be okay, but you've all confirmed my suspicion.

I guess I need to go take some new photos.

And I will pay for expedited service.

Well, I had no problem traveling to Italy in late October on a passport that expired in January, but it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. I'd recommend you get it renewed. My understanding is that it is applications for NEW passports that are taking up to 10 weeks, but I'm guessing the process is slowed across the board.

I have a trip coming up in April and a passport that would expire in November. I renewed with the expedited service and got my new passport in 8 days.

JaceyRight,

You should definitely renew your passport. I was also in the same situation, and I contacted the Embassy, and they told me that my passport has to be valid for at least 3 months after I enter the country. So you are putting yourself at risk.

I have traveled to Europe 6 times in the last 12 months, and also to India and Bhutan and November, and without exception every airline said the passport had to be valid for 6 months past my return date. I wouldn't chance it, and if I were you I would definitely renew it immediately.

It's a discretionary call: US Passport's validity is printed on the Passport. It's Valid for 10-years (i.e., not 9.5 years). I don't think Airlines (or Immigration Officials) should concern themselves other than whether you have a Current Valid Passport that will be in effect for the length of your anticipated stay abroad. But I read from these posts that they do.

I would advise that you contact someone at Department of State and get them to quote you Chapter & Verse from the Code of Federal Regulations that define any restrictions.

alanRow's link to an Expedia document seems to define requirements for entry in Shengen-Agreement Countries. That doesn't change my basic tenet on Validity of Passports.

I downloaded the renewal application. I just need to take new photos. If I mail it in by Monday, it will give them 8 weeks to get it back to me.

There used to be a way to renew your passport in person (for those traveling within 30 days) but I didn't see that option on the site.

"I don't think Airlines (or Immigration Officials) should concern themselves other than whether you have a Current Valid Passport that will be in effect for the length of your anticipated stay abroad"

Airlines are concerned when there's a possibility that you will not be allowed entry in a country; they will be fined. The US has the same rule; I cannot enter the USA if my passport is not valid for at least another 6 months.

"I cannot enter the USA if my passport is not valid for at least another 6 months."

Really? I can. America has the same minimum-validity rule as Britain. A foreigner who doesn't need a visa can get in with only a day on thei passport. The passport will then be stamped with permission to enter for just that day. It's only people who need visas for whom there's a passport validity condition in Britain or the US.

Countries' requirements on this vary according to all sorts of factors. It's quite wrong to say Spain requires something based on experience in Italy.

And ONLY the diplomatic representative of the cuntry concerned can give a definitive answer.

flanneruk; I had booked a trip to the US a few years ago, and realised a week before that my passport had almost expired. Both the consulate and the airline said that it HAD to have 6 months left on it. They were adamant that I would not be able to travel to the US with just a month left on my passport, and the airline would not have let me board.