Number of months needed left on passport for travel US to UK

https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control/before-you-leave-for-the-uk

"You must have a valid passport to enter the UK. It should be valid for the whole of your stay."

Why not have it renewed before your trip and eliminate any possible issues? Airline personnel in the US can prevent him from boarding the plane if they interpret the period of validity to be 6 months after return. Even if they are wrong, their interpretation can ruin your trip. Just get it renewed.

Averaged over its life a passport costs about a $1 (one dollar) per month

For $5-6 you are willing to risk your trip to the gate agent's (mis) interpretation of what constitutes a 'valid' passport?

For me it is an easy decision to get it renewed and not have to be concerned

A friend recently came back from a long-planned (expensive and non-refundable) trip to the Galapogos Islands ... that was turned into a Lake Tahoe driving vacation when they were rejected at the airport for having passports that were just short of 6 months remaining validity.
So ... I will join with the others in recommending renewal before you try to fly. Think of it as travel insurance.

Long ago, heading to Bulgaria but spending one night in London before the next day’s connecting flight to Sofia, and unaware of the requirement to have at least 3 months remaining on my passport in order to be allowed into Bulgaria, I left the USA, thinking I was squeezing almost every last day out of my passport. No one said anything in Denver at the check-in counter, and the British Airways employee knew I was flying that day to London, then to Bulgaria the day after landing in the UK. And I was allowed into the UK with no question, and only 1 1/2 months left on my passport.

After landing in the UK, and spending the night, then arriving back at the airport the next morning for my flight to Bulgaria, after seeing my passport, they wouldn’t let me check in, due to Bulgaria’s extra time requirement. They said if I boarded the plane, Bulgaria would refuse me, and they’d have to fly me back to the UK. I spent the rest of that day going into London, to the American embassy, to get a replacement passport, but one good for just 5 years.

And maybe things have changed in the past 15 years, with new countries mandating extra time on a passport, but based on my personal experience, the UK wasn’t as strict as other places. And your husband’s going to still have over 5 months left when he gets home, not 5 days. But I haven’t stretched it that thin again.

Every country is different and the OP is asking about ENGLAND. The UK and US have an agreement- your passport only has to be valid for the length of your stay. Period. Have 2 weeks left on your passport and wanna fly into London for a long weekend- go for it. Not a problem; just be out if there before your passport expires.

Other countries have different rules. Schengen Zone is 6 months...this is based upon a 3 month post stay requirement. 3 months post stay and as your entry is allowed for a potential 3 months, bingo 6 months comes into play. Bulgaria 6 months. Ecuador (Galapagos Islands) is 6 months.

Although OP’s husband is TOTALLY safe, Would I renew Pre-trip if I was the OP’s husband, sure if there is time (I wouldn’t do an expedited application).

I renew at 1 yr out as my standard policy- why push it and risk an “opps”. Over a 50 yr “travel lifetime” this will cause me to go through 1 extra passport renewal over my entire life.... as others have pointed out not a real money issue ($120-160 spread out over 50 yrs, not a biggie).

At the risk of being overly technical, the Schengen Zone does not require 6 months validity on your passport. It merely requires that the passport be valid for 3 months beyond your intended departure. That 6 months comes from the US government and others' interpretation of what easily seems logical, but is not the actual rule.

BUT! The official rule is 3 months beyond intended departure. If your passport has 4 1/2 months validity and your intended stay is 7 days, you are certainly within the rules.
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-nationals/index_en.htm

==>"If you are a non-EU national wishing to visit or travel within the EU, you will need a passport: valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU country you are visiting, which was issued within the previous 10 years,"<==

But of course, the thread is about entry to the UK and despite anyone's commentary, all that is necessary is that the passport be valid for the length of stay as noted in the official link already posted.

While being cognizant of the requirement for each country is good information, in the case of the OP it is Simple, contact your airline.

When this question comes up, there tend to be many answers arguing "3 months", Six Months, from the time you leave, from your return.....when what matters is if the Airline will allow you to board.

There is no victory in being smug knowing your passport is valid because you know the rules...as you are watching your flight go off without you.

Call your airline, better yet, just renew now.

Heartily agreeing with all the advice to renew now. Why not? Then you won't have to worry about whether or not his passport is valid.

I wouldn't necessarily rely on the advice of an airline's customer service agent with regards to airline document checks and immigration rules. In fact most of those agents will simply remind you that it is your duty to insure that you have the proper documentation for travel, without further specifics.

Now, what check-in and gate agents check against -- and what the airline's websites will provide customers a portal to -- is the International Air Transport Association's Timatic ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timatic ) database/website -- https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/

That's it, that is the final word regarding appropriate documentation or passport validity and it is exactly the database that an airline is going to check against.

The bottom line is that it's ENTIRELY up to the immigration officer at passport control whether you will be admitted to the country or not, regardless of what a voice on the phone told you. A US passport lets US citizens stay in the UK for 6 months so your passport must cover 6 months from your entry date at minimum. He needs to renew his passport before he leaves.

A US passport lets US citizens stay in the UK for 6 months so your
passport must cover 6 months from your entry date at minimum. He needs
to renew his passport before he leaves.

Not so.

From the UK government site (https://tinyurl.com/jzwaj38):

You must have a valid passport to enter the UK. It should be valid for the whole of your stay.

As long as one can show a return ticket before your passport expires you don't need six months validity. This is a long standing rule.

Anita, how about showing us an official UK government link to a rule that says one must in fact have 6 months validity on their passport to enter the UK.

Why is it so hard to understand that the UK only requires validity for the duration of stay?