Passport Expiration warning

You may also want to know that sometimes you have to have X number of available blank pages also. Even if PP is not near expiration.

Sorry to hear this. I know it had to be disappointing.

This comes up on the forum 3-4 times a year and I always feel sorry for those in this situation.

However, I believe it is unfair to give negative input regarding Florea Palace for simply following the cancellation policy you agreed to. Should their business suffer because of your mistake?

It was kind of you to share your experience regarding passport dates. Perhaps one person will see it and be saved this disappointment.

A great reminder for all travelers to check the entry requirements for the countries you intend to visit. Some countries require your passport to be valid for six months beyond the date you exit the US.

Sorry, Carol now retired - I did not read that as negative input for Florea Palace, merely as a piece of information, which I think is fair. It’s like anything - just a report on what happened.

jennymom678, I know that was terribly disappointing! And hopefully your warning will help someone else to check. I know I have never stayed up with the “blank page” restrictions - but should.

Thank you Texastravelmom. You are correct, I was merely informing anyone thinking of booking there that there is no flexibility on the cancellation rules at this property. So in that vein, I will also list the following properties that DID extend grace, and with even less lead time:
Hotel Settimo Cielo, Sorrento
Hotel Vittoria, Positano
Casa Di Capri, Capri

The blank page is something many don’t talk about but many countries require you have them.

To clarify, just in case.

A passport has to be valid for six months after the date of your return home.

No refund is given on non-refundable flight tickets under these circumstances, and the cost will not be covered by any regular travel insurance policy.

(Edit to remove a guess that wasn't correct, as Dutch_Traveler gives the correct information in the next response)

France doesn’t have its own stricter rules. The passport expiration rules are the same for the whole of the EU, including France;

“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”

Source: the official EU website; https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-nationals/index_en.htm

Thanks for the correction, Dutch_Traveler. Better to have accurate information !!

This always comes up, and people are quick to argue about what this country or that country requires, but as the OP found out, the airline makes the decision whether you board or not. If they refuse you boarding, the fine print at immigration is meaningless, because you never get there!

Nearly all of the airlines have links on their sites regarding documents needed and requirements. Many link to this database: https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/passport-visa-health-travel-document-requirements.htm Where you can put in pretty detailed information and get sense of requirements.

The guy at the ticket gate told us if we’d landed in Rome, we may have had to immediately turn around and fly back. It was a hard lesson to learn, but one most of us that are new to international travel had no clue about. The more we can get the word out there with the facts, the more we educate and hopefully keep that disappointment and expense from happening to others.
Thanks to all for your kind replies.

The guy at the ticket gate told us if we’d landed in Rome, we may have had to immediately turn around and fly back

Correct. What he did not mention was that if they allowed you to board, and they did stop you, the airline would have been fined and they would have been responsible for returning you to the US.

Any international carrier (Air or Sea) has the responsibility under International Carriage agreements to assure that all passengers have basic required travel documents in order.

I'm going to be renewing my passport when I return to the US in early January.

As of now, online renewal is open again.

Be aware, as soon as you apply online your current passport becomes invalid.

Thanks, DT, I stand corrected. Like Rick Blaine, I was misinformed.

Another poster asked if I had provided passport information to the airline prior to the trip. The answer is yes. We provided this information when we made the reservation, and 3 days prior to flying, and the evening before we were supposed to leave when we did on-line check in. That is why we were totally gobsmacked when this happened. While American said they were not responsible for informing us of the expiration that really isn’t an expiration rule, they were nice about giving us credit for our flight.

Thanks for the reminder. I have some friends that are going to Greece with me in June. I just reminded them again to check their passports. I think one friend told me their passport expired sometime next year, so I want to make sure they get it renewed before we go.

Yes, our passports expire in October 2024, so as soon as we get home from our fall 2023 trip, we're renewing.

Thanks everyone, for the reminders.

This is maddening. A friend missed a trip a few years back for the same reason. I badgered my travel partner this year to renew her passport early, before our tours, so that she didn't land in the same situation.

I hope that the improvements to the state department passport systems will include renewal notifications. They'll have our email addresses and I'm pretty sure they have the expiration data 😉

The 2021 Executive Order that requires the State Department to create a new online passport process doesn't have any further level of detail.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/13/executive-order-on-transforming-federal-customer-experience-and-service-delivery-to-rebuild-trust-in-government/

Perhaps the State Department website has more detail.

ETA: I didn't find anything in a brief check of the new customer portal. I'll be renewing, hopefully online, as soon as I'm back from this trip. I'll research further to see if there are any options to "receive notifications." Or maybe I'll have to wait until the subsequent renewal to find out!

Jennymom678, I’m very sorry for your experience. Even when you know (or think you know!) the rules, it’s easy to have an oversight. I set up an annual reminder in my Outlook calendar with the expiration dates of the family passports, Global Entry, TSA Precheck, and driver’s licenses. And I guess next year we’ll all have to remember about the new visa for Europe, too (does that start in May?).

I hope you get to take your trip before too long and have a spectacular time!

“ And I guess next year we’ll all have to remember about the new visa for Europe, too (does that start in May?).”

It isn’t a visa and it doesn’t start in May.
It’s called ETIAS which stands for European Travel Information and Authorisation System and it won’t be implemented before November 2023.
ETIAS is basically the exact same thing that those wanting to travel to the USA have already been subjected to for many many years. Also ETIAS will only cost €7, whereas the ESTA of the USA now costs $21

https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/smart-borders/european-travel-information-authorisation-system_en

I have a file on my computer desktop that includes all our frequent flyer numbers, hotel & rental car memberships, our Global Entry numbers, and our Passport information. Expiration dates bold and highlighted. Every time I open that file to make a reservation for something, I can see all the appropriate expiration dates.

Good idea, stan. I need to create the same - had a similar list for work, when that was applicable. I guess I will put that on my January to-do list when I am not traveling.

A few years ago I set up a Google calendar reminder. So, 7 months prior to expiration I'll get all sorts of notifications to renew my passport "right now".

This is from the US State Department website concerning Passports and entry into Schengen countries:

PASSPORT

Have at least six-month’s validity remaining on your passport whenever you travel abroad.
Check the expiration date on your passport carefully before traveling to Europe – especially children’s passports, which are valid five years, not 10 years like those issued to U.S. citizens aged 16 and older.

Then

What do I need to enter the Schengen area?

A U.S. passport (with applicable visas, if needed), valid for at least 90 days beyond your intended date of departure from the Schengen area. Note: Border officials often assume you will stay the maximum 90 days, even if this is not your intention.

—————-
So 90 days for the entire Schengen period plus 90 days after that = 180 days

I have seen articles several times over the past few years where TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS have been caught by this rule.

Thank you, Steven, for your kind comment. Makes me feel not quite so clueless!

And here is some information on blank pages: https://www.thetravelersbuddy.com/2022/05/17/blank-passport-pages-to-travel/
And a tip on how to save blank pages ....

When I applied for my current passport in 2014, I knew I was going to start traveling heavily, so I asked for extra pages. I didn't consider the effect of the Schengen Zone, which means most border crossings don't produce a passport stamp. It's better to have blank pages and not need them than the reverse, but my still-mostly-empty passport is quite bulky when I put it in my money belt!

Youtuber Tony of LA LIDO LOCA has a recent video detailing his passport woes for a trip to Australia/New Zealand. Those two countries do not have the 90 day requirement but the airport agent thought they did. Fortunately he had visas for each country and the agent let him fly.

I guess I was lucky that my passport expired during the pandemic. I always give my parents copies of my documents when I travel, in case I lose credit cards or passports and my mom texted me a picture saying it was expired. You were very lucky that AA gave you a full refund-sometimes they don't.