My passport expires March 27, 2027
Our flights to Europe are from Aug 18-Sept 15 2026.
So I have slightly more than the required six months from our return date before passport expires.
Should I wait until we return to renew? Or would you recommend to renew before trip?
Absolutely renew now.
Better safe than sorry.
-- Mike Beebe
PASSPORT VALIDITY:
Six months validity recommended, at least 3 months validity beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area is required
https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories.html
You didn't specify where in Europe you are going, so I used Austria as an example as it was quickest to find alphabetically
You’re fine, renew after your trip.
BUT….if this is going to cause you a minute of anxiety, go ahead and renew.
Fly into Poland, out of Munich. No anxiety waiting, I’d probably worry more renewing before our trip.
Schengen requires 3 months, but state department recommends 6.
I just renewed mine online today. It expires in February 2027 and I'm traveling in September 2026. To renew online your passport must be expiring within one year. So you can renew on March 1. It only takes a few minutes to renew online and they currently say regular processing is 4-6 weeks, but I'm hearing it can be quicker than that. We are taking a Rick Steves tour, and in our documents and also our airline portal, I've been told by both to update/renew my passport.
ps. Make sure you have your appropriate picture ready when you renew...can have someone take it digitally, (meeting their specific requirements) or get it taken at someplace like Postal Annex, Staples, AAA, etc.
