passport expiration date?
 

We are flying to Cancun on 3/3 and returning on 3/10. Our passport expires on 3/14. I thought this would not be a problem, however the US customs travel site states that to enter Mexico a passport must have an expiration date 6 months out from your travel date. I just spoke to the Mexican counsulate in Boston, and they said just as long as you have a vailid passport, there should be no problem. I don't know who to believe. To renew our passports at this late date would involve driving 120 miles to the nearest US passport office, and paying an extra $70 for expedited processsing. Anyone enter Mexico with a passport with a passport close to expiration date?

Interesing question.

I am sure if they let you in...they will let you out.
Boy your sure shaving it close.

Now if you get sick or injured in Mexico...and end up in the hospital, your passport will have expired.
Good Luck. I just got back from Cancun last week

Ouch.
Here's what the Mexican tourist guide page says: Al llegar a México sólo deberás presentar tu pasaporte en regla y la Forma Migratoria de Turista. Basically, it says all you need is a valid passport and an FMM, or tourist visa. Maybe call your airline as well?
Just the same, I think I'd start driving. Why risk ruining a vacation at the cost of a few hours and $140?

I know it's no consolation, but at least, presumably, you won't have to rebook and lose money on flights, too.

It depends on your stress threshold and whether you can cope with not knowing exactly what may happen. I know what I'd do - pay up and get the new passports. But that's me and my priorities.

The rest of the story may be, what happened to someone on the forums may be entirely different than what may happen in your case. You can't count on someone else's experience being applicable.

The problem is with the airline and whether or not they will let you board rather than Mexican Immigration. I've read on other forums of people who have been refused boarding so I am in the get driving category. Take a copy of your plane ticket or itinerary or whatever with you so you can get same day turnaround.

I wouldn't risk it, either - met 2 families in Central America last summer that left family members behind in the US when the airline wouldn't let them board, even with months left on their passport (but less than 6 months). You might get lucky but - with only a few days extra - I wouldn't count on it. Sorry!

I always thought you need a passport valid for 6 months in the future for entering Mexico, or more importantly returning to the US!

Too many risks ... bite the bullet and renew your passports. Chalk it up to life lessons learned.

Since there are many countries, though Mexico isn't one of them, that do require six months left on your passport, some of the airlines have apparently decided they'll just enforce it for all countries.

I'd be off yesterday to renew.

I went to Mexico last month. While at Charlotte Airport waiting to board the flight to Cancun, each passenger had to show his/her passport at the boarding gate. He made a point of telling each of us when the passport expires (mine is 09-2015 for the record).

oddly Jetblue said it wouldn't be a problem, but US Air said it would. We decided to bite the bullet and do the 130 mile drive in the snow to get the passports renewed. Thanks for all the feedback!

Good call. I wasn't allowed to board a plane to Honduras because I had only two months on my passport. Two weeks would almost certainly have created issues.

Right decision, and I'm sure you'll sleep better having made it. I do now remember a couple of years back our passports were within a month of expiration when we flew out of Mexico en route to the states. The US immigration agent in Houston didn't hassle us about the dates, but rather, grilled us about where we had our photos taken! But that flight originated in Mexico, not the states. All that said, while you may not have had any problems, there have been some changes in Mexican immigration laws in the last couple of years that at times seem subject to local interpretation. Have a good trip!

US citizens returning to the US can use the passport right up to the expiration date. This because there's no chance of them overstaying their visit for obvious reasons.

It's a US regulation, not a Mexican one, if you're on a US carrier they won't let you board. for example someone flying from England direct to Mexico City would not have to worry about this.

Friend not allowed to board since his passport expired one day less than 6 months from his return flight date.

Yeah - we applied for new passportsa year or 2 ago with a week less than 6 months left; I hated to 'waste' that time but didn't want to chance it.

>>It's a US regulation, not a Mexican one, if you're on a US carrier they won't let you board. for example someone flying from England direct to Mexico City would not have to worry about this.<<

That is not true. Various countries have their own rules re how much passport validity is required to <u>enter</u>.

Mexico requires 6 months. The reason the airline is involved is because they would be responsible for your return to the States IF the mexican authorities denied you entry. That is why they won't let you board if there is a question re passport length/validity

The UK allows folks to enter as long as the passport is valid for the length of the visit.

Brazil only requires a passport to be valid on the date of entry.

Iceland - Three months

Turkey - Eight months

and so on. None of these have anything to do w/ US regulations.

"Mexico requires 6 months. "

True now, although prior to the "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative" in 2010 US citizens didn't even need a passport to visit Mexico, or to reenter the country.

Sometimes things don't get better, just harder!

"Mexico requires 6 months. "
only if travelling from the USA

>>"Mexico requires 6 months. "
only if travelling from the USA<<

Not entirely true -- but in any case, it is a Mexican requirement, not a US rule as you originally posted.

Hi there,

Were you able to travel? I have the same problem. My passport is expiring in June and I am travelling in April.
Please reply!

Thanks

Welcome to Fodors Test22. Sorry, but no one one here including the OP knows whether you will be OK or not. The first roadblock is the airline agent when you check in. May or may not let you board.

At the airport is too late to find out. If it was me I'd renew my passport immediately (you can pay extra to have it expedited)

My question was posted last year. Here's what I did - I decided it was too risky to take a chance with my old passport. I decided to go to my nearest US Passport agency, which was a 90 minute drive, and get a new passport issued within a few hours. There was an extra fee for this service (I think it was about $60 extra), but it was worth the peace of mind.

@janisj-- I respectfully disagree. Brazil requires at least 6 months left on a US passport because a US tourist with a 10 year multi-entry visa (the commonly given one) can stay in Brazil up to 6 months per year.

sambaChula: >>I respectfully disagree. Brazil requires at least 6 months left on a US passport <<

I have no idea what you are disagreeing with. Yes, some countries do require 6 months but where does Test22 mention Brazil? My answer was in general -- she should renew her passport NOW . . . pretty much no matter where s/he is traveling.

@janisj--You wrote "Brazil only requires a passport to be valid on the date of entry." which I do not believe to be correct information.
Does not pertain to the OP, but it does disseminate incorrect info that some future reader might try to use with disastrous results.

Samba . . . That was 13 months ago and was in response to a different member/question.

This is the old site where the info came from dated Oct 2014 . . .

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...ry/brazil.html

>> . . . some future reader might try to use with disastrous results.<< A bit melodramatic don't you think.

As I understand it the US requires at least 6 months left on a US passport in order to leave the US by plane and return. This puts the liability on the carrier, because if the passenger is refused re-entry into the US, they becomes responsible for that passenger.
A passenger arriving from the UK direct to Mexico only requires a valid passport.

"...the US requires at least 6 months left on a US passport in order to leave the US by plane and return."

The requirement is that of the country being traveled to, not the one that's left. If the passport hasn't expired, as far as US law is concerned, it's valid. Six months left or 6 hours. Not expired means precisely that.

janisj on Mar 17, 16 at 1:41am
Samba . . . That was 13 months ago and was in response to a different member/question.

This is the old site where the info came from dated Oct 2014 . . .

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...ry/brazil.html

>> . . . some future reader might try to use with disastrous results.<< A bit melodramatic don't you think.
---------
It is still incorrect information in an ongoing post.
It apparently came from a US government site. Brazil sets its own policies. I'm sure the Brazilian authorities are not responsible for errors on a US site, nor would they be held to following any info posted there.
Even at the time of posting the info was incorrect.
And yes, I do think it would be considered "disastrous" if someone showed up to embark on a trip to Brazil thinking all they needed was a passport valid on that day or the next (in the case of an overnight flight). People do use these posts for reference far past their posting date.

Just passing along my husband's current experience. His US passport expires 7/5/16. He flew U.S. toCancun in mid-January 2016 on southwest airlines for a week and had no problem with his passport or going into or out of Cancun.

Today he flew U.S. Into Cancun again, on Southwest. He had no problem whatsoever re his passport.

>It is still incorrect information in an ongoing post.

Quite a specious, and silly, argument. This situation applies to almost all of the recorded word including newspapers, magazines, books, television reruns, and so on. All sorts of published information is, eventually, incorrect. That doesn't necessarily mean the posted information should not have been posted in the first place for fear of some day going out of date.

Heck, even the US Constitution contains incorrect information (looking at you, Article 1, Sections 2 and 3!). Doesn't invalidate the historical fact.

That information from some US government site was incorrect, or at best incomplete, on the day it was published.
(Incomplete, in that, yes the passport must be valid on the day of entry, but also for six months afterward, which was not stated.)
That information is incorrect today.
That information has been incorrect on every day between.
That information will continue to be incorrect until such time that the Brazilian government changes its regulations, at which time ( like now and in the past) the correct information can be found on the site of the Braxilian Consulate.
The incorrect information was not disseminated by the Brazilian government, which has jurisdiction over matters concerning entry to their sovereign country.
If one wishes to enter a country, best to be accurately informed as to the criteria for entry.
End of story.

>best to be accurately informed ...

Now you got it.

I had it all along. Seems it was you and jsnisj who didn't.

I think there is quite a bit of confusion still.

Up until recently, a U.S. citizen did not need a passport at all to enter Mexico as a tourist. I have searched and have not found a Mexican requirement that the passport be valid for six months beyond the date of entry or departure. To re-enter the U.S. a citizen simply requires a valid passport. It could expire the next day. Doesn't matter. The problem must lie with airline clerks, who are applying the laws of other countries to Mexico. Of course, maybe I just didn't find the relevant Mexican regulation.

Well, here's that US state department site:
http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...ry/mexico.html
But they weren't really accurate about Brazil on the same site.

I saw the bullet, but when you read the full text it says nothing about it.

Tthere's a thread on the same topic on TA that's bern open from July 2012 until January 2016, so see if you think anyone there has drawn a correct conclusion from the info available. LOL