What is a Six Month Passport Validity Rule?

All British travellers heading to the US must have a biometric passport or they would not be allowed to travel, says an article published by the Express in August 2017. The rule came into effect from 1 April 2017, under the Trump government.

Other than the restriction of having a biometric passport, the 6 months of passport validity rule also poses problems for the Brits who love to travel overseas.

Talking of UK passport validity, Her Majesty’s Passport Office issues adult passports to individuals above the age of 16 years, which remains valid for 10 years, and issues minor passports to children who are 15 years and younger, which is valid for 5 years.

Passport Six Month Validity Rule

According to the rule, when an individual travels internationally, his/her passport should be valid for at least six months from the date of departure. There are countries that do not allow an individual to enter their land, in case their passport does not have at least six months of validity left after the last day of their travel.

Interestingly, in many situations, the number of remaining blank pages in a UK passport can create an issue for the Brits, which should not be less than two in most cases.

A question that may instantly strike your mind is why is there the need of such a six months passport validity rule. The rule was enforced keeping in mind that passports and travellers sometimes stay beyond their passport validity for travel. Thus, the maximum passport validity requirement is kept at six months, to avoid travellers from overstaying.

It is advised to renew your passport in case the validity is less than six months, before you plan your next trip.

Which Countries Require 6 Months of Passport Validity?

Although there are countries that are slightly lenient about the 6-month rule, commonly travelled countries like Mexico and Canada enforce this rule very strictly. An article published by the Guardian added that Brazil, Ecuador, Turkey, Tunisia and Israel require UK passport holders to have six months of validity on their passport from the date of entry into the country.

It is important to check out a country’s entry and exit requirements before you plan a trip to that country. For this, you may contact that country’s embassy or consulate directly as passport validity for countries like USA, the UK, Spain and the EU may differ.

Below is a table with a list of countries which require a minimum of 6 months of validity on your passport in order to travel: