Six months on a passport can wreck your trip
Many countries deny entry if documents expire too soon
A colleague just lost a trip to Germany by showing up at Pearson International Airport with a passport that expired in 89 days. So, just how long must a passport be valid before flying abroad?
Canadians can travel without visas to 172 countries around the world, as our passport ranks as the sixth most welcomed global travel document.
That’s according to the 2016 visa restrictions index, calculated and published annually by Henley & Partners in conjunction with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
But just because so many nations are ready to extend their hospitality to visitors from the Great White North, doesn’t mean their border security staff won’t be looking closely to ensure our passports are valid and often way more than just up-to-date.
While we can visit the U.S. with a Canadian passport that will be valid for the duration of our visit, most other countries require visitors’ passports to have a much longer period before the expiry date.
The 26 European nations bound by what is known as the Schengen Agreement stipulate visitors’ passports must be valid for a full 90 days after their scheduled day of departure from that country.
China and Russia require foreign passports have an expiry date of no less than six months after a visitor’s expected departure and India’s rule is that a passport must be valid for at least180 days from the date of arrival.
The Government of Canada’s travel information website posts up-todate advisories that list the specific requirements of each country.
Being denied entry to a country on the basis of a passport expiry date usually occurs prior to boarding a flight at one’s home airport, but it’s also happened while transferring to another aircraft and even upon arrival at the destination airport.
Travellers caught in this predicament have had their vacation dreams dashed by having to arrange a flight back home and then trying to get a refund for their paid airfares and other missed bookings. It can leave little or no time to get a new passport and salvage part of the trip.
“This is one of the most common (passport) issues,” says Marco Pozzobon, communications director with the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, the national trade association representing the retail travel sector of Canada’s tourism industry.
“The rule is in place in order to ensure a visitor who unexpectedly needs to stay for a period longer than originally planned still has a valid passport to leave the country.
“When going online to check into your flight the computer system will validate the check-in with no warning that the (passport) is about to expire, however, within the terms and conditions it would state that the passenger is responsible to ensure they have all the valid documents including visa/passport.
“If you were able to depart your flight that includes a stopover on a passport set to expire within a short period, it could potentially leave you stranded at the stopover city.
“Airlines are considered liable by the arriving country if a passenger arrives with a passport that doesn’t conform to that country’s rules,” Pozzobon adds.
So the first thing to consider when planning a trip is to determine whether the amount of time before your passport expires is enough to allow entry, otherwise it could result in a problematic and costly ordeal.
In some situations, allowances have been made at the discretion of the person inspecting a passport, as in the case of a relative visiting to attend a funeral, but it’s very rare and more of an exception than the rule. “We would not recommend that a traveller tempt fate or count on the discretion or consideration by foreign security,” Pozzobon says. “It can cost a traveller thousands of dollars in lost travel or rebooking fees.”
The government advises getting a new passport if the current one is dated to expire during travels or before the time required by the country we plan to visit.
It takes 10 days to process a passport when the application is made and fees paid in person, up to 20 business days by mail, but an urgent passport application can be processed within 24 hours at certain passport offices if the application and any required documents are in order.
As of October 2016, Canadians with dual citizenship can no longer return to Canada by air using passports issued by other countries, as was the case in the past. Like all other citizens, they must now use their Canadian passport.
As of October 2016, Canadians with dual citizenship can no longer return to Canada by air using passports issued by other countries