passport woes-don`t let this happen to you

This happened to us at our check in before a flight to Vietnam. Luckily, there is a passport office in Chicago. We pushed our flight a day back and immediately went from ORD to the passport office. We had the passport in a few hours after filling out a new application and some hand wringing. I understand your pain, it was stressful and so disappointing to be told that at the airport. It is the last thing you are thinking of when ironing out everything else!
Getting your expedited passport is actually quick and easy, it is just the anticipation and let down that stinks. I hope you can save what you have left of your trip. We were lucky as it is easy to renew a passport quickly from Chicago.

I hope you can salvage some of your trip. This information is in almost every guidebook I have ever read, but having it here on the forum may help someone else from going through the difficult experience you are.

Mike, thanks for posting. Your post is quiet and well-considered. But I have to point out your use of the terms,

88 days
1 1/2 months before
non expired passport

That's because they suggest you have not yet reconciled yourself to the fact that ... your opinion does not count. The rules are the rules, just like reporting to the airport on time and being at the gate on time. They are not negotiable for nice people who meant well. The "airline" doesn't actually care about your passport. They don't want to have to fly you back for free when Italy refuses to admit you because of the unpleasant possibility that you will overstay your welcome.

I also thought these rules were pretty well-known. My passport is already at the Passport Agency for a trip this coming November.

I noticed last year that airlines have begun (like everyone else online, presenting pages of legalese) to pop-up a vast disclaimer when you check-in for an international flight, saying that YOU will assume the financial burden of any refused admittance or unexpected interruption of the trip.

Hi Mike, sorry about your situation and good luck tomorrow. I think you should repost this on the General Europe page so more people will see it.

It's not the fact that your passports are "non expired" it's the fact that you must have a passport valid for 90 days beyond the end of your trip, which you don't. This is to prevent people from staying in the country illegally.

This information is posted in all guide books, on the internet and often discussed on travel forums such as this. It's not "secret" information. This is why it's so important to do all the research necessary for your trip. You should never take anything for granted.

I hope it all works out for you.

Donna

Mike, sorry that happened on a weekend especially.

There is no substitute for official information, from the State Department for US travelers. People who travel frequently and have never heard of this are lucky that their passports were in order.

Mike, thanks for posting your experience with this. It is so much more meaningful in a 1st person context than when someone posts this happened to the friend of a cousin on their mother's side. Posters DO come on this forum asking about this very thing so your story may help someone down the line. Best of luck getting it straightened out on Monday so you can get off on your vacation!

I'm rather skeptical of ANYONE who claims to travel frequently (internationally) and has never heard of the 6 month rule.

My sympathies for your misfortune. Anyone can make a mistake. One time my wife and I were checking in for a flight to Portugal having recently renewed our passports. The airline check in agent said, "I can't let you travel with these passports, they are not valid." He let us sweat for a moment before saying "They're not signed." We had not signed them yet, sure enough. While the problem was easily remedied, we did not find it very funny that the guy handled it the way he did.

Mike,

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. It sounds like you encountered an agent that was sticking to the rules to the letter. I can understand the airline position though as if they allow you to board and you're refused entry in Italy, the airline is on the hook to fly you home (AFAIK).

For future reference, you may wish to bookmark the State Department website. You'll notice the first item mentioned at the top left of the page. Some countries require three months remaining, while some others require a longer time.

It will be an expensive lesson, but hope you can salvage at least part of your holiday.

Good luck!

Mike I can not thank you enough for your post. We leave on May 6 and my husbands passport expires on July 15. He travels occasionally for work, but it's the first European trip for me and my kids. Without this post, we would have missed our trip. As I type we are frantically trying to figure out how to expedite his passport renewal. i am so sorry this happened to you and sincerely hope you can salvage part of your trip. If you have any info that can help us navigate expedited passport renewal, please post. And thanks again for posting this info.

atramutolo, have a look at this page. It is the U.S. State Dept. list of Passport Agency offices. Another page says that if you make an appointment and go to one of these offices to apply for a new passport, the wait is 8 days if expedited. That would be worth it if one of these locations is near you, or not too far a drive away.
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/where-to-apply/agencies.html
This page says "Expedited at agency; 8 business days."
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/renew.html

Good of Mike to remind folks to check their passport expiration date. Sort of a basic foreign travel checklist item.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/09/231319.htm

Renew Early: Passports Expiring Within Six Months May Disrupt Travel

September 5, 2014

Many international travelers may not realize that having an unexpired
passport is sometimes not enough to enter certain foreign countries.
U.S. citizens traveling on passports that expire in fewer than six
months have increasingly been denied airline boarding or been detained
upon arrival in certain foreign destinations, including popular
European travel destinations in the Schengen area. This is not a new
requirement, but it is only recently that the requirement has been
more strictly enforced.

To renew a passport in an emergency such as above, you can go to the closest passport agency and just show up without an appointment but get there way before they open, take your two new passport photos with you and the completed application form which you can get on-line and your airline tickets, boarding passes and a valid drivers license. You will get them the same day. I had a similar situation but realized a week before the trip, called the toll free number and was able to get an appointment. My understanding is that they will only do this if you are traveling within two weeks. When we got
to the federal courthouse, we went through security like at an airport and for some reason had to show a drivers license, wouldn't accept the about to expired passport, go figure. Anyway, the passport agency had two lines, one for those with appointments and one line for those without. They took those of us with appointments first and then the rest. Appointment was at about ten, taken almost right on time, told to come back at three, went to lunch, got back around three and passport was ready. Was relatively easy. Just remember to take those airline tickets with you. Good luck.

Re Gail's note ... just show up without an appointment...

Just showing up for a State Dept Passport Agency is not exactly correct. See:
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/services/expedited.html

Expedited Service at a Passport Agency
If you need a passport very quickly, the best method may be to apply at a U.S. Department of State Passport Agency.

There are 28 passport agencies around the country that can provide expedited service. Many have opened in the last few years and there may be one closer to you than you think.
Appointments are required to apply at U.S. Department of State passport agencies. Most passport agencies require proof of travel within two weeks in order to make an appointment. For a complete list, click here.
Some passport agencies do not require proof of travel to make an appointment.

Sorry to hear Mike. We leave in late June and will return at the end of July. My passport expires Feb. 2016. Technically within the 6 month window, but I figure might as well renew now just to be safe. Not that I'd anticipate a problem, but I'd renew when we return anyways, so figured to do now. Sent off last week and see they have it in Philadelphia now. Good luck and hope you travels work out.

Jed

Tim from Knoxville, you may be skeptical but there is no blanket six- month rule. It is three months for Italy. You are a frequent traveler too so should know that. Why criticize Mike?

Sasha, I think Tim's comment was about Mike's sources, not Mike himself.

6 month rule will cover you even if your destination country only has a 3 month requirement...yes I know :-)

Mike, again I thank you sincerely for posting this as you completely saved our trip. We should have my husbands new passport in hand a few days before we are due to leave. I've been thinking about you and your wife and praying that you were able to go on your trip. Please update - and I hope it's good news!

atramutolo--like!

Mike,

I do hope you were able to renew your passport today...
Thanks for the warning.

I learned that one can actually renew a passport up to 9 months before it expires.

Thanks Priscilla for the information. My husbands expire 9 months almost 10 after we return and we were not sure a few months ago how far in advance you could renew. He has plenty of time for this trip on his pass port. But we will renew when we get back.

Wow - Good tip! I really had no idea, and I read these forums all the time! Good luck!

The great value to Mike's posting is that the three/six month valid passport requirement can be enforced. We recently had a local situation when a family was denied board because the father's passport was well used, rather battered, and the airline clerk decided that the passport had been "alerted." There is no appeal if the airline says NO.

There have been a couple of posters on this site who have downplayed this requirement by saying it was ridiculous because they had actually traveled on an expired passport. We have always renewed our passport at about the nine month mark.

Good luck but you probably will need a lot more than good luck.

I want to clarify something I posted previously.

I just called the National Passport Information Center because I have not received my expired passport even though I received my new one over 2 weeks ago.

This is what I learned when I asked the passport representative:

• You can actually renew your passport the same day you receive your
  new passport in the mail (if you don't like your photo for instance...)

• In case of needing an expedited renewal in a hurry, such as in Mike's
  case, there are Passport Agencies located all over the nation where
  one can go to & get a passport in a few days.
  (as long as all your legal documents are in order)

Refer to this website: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/where-to-apply/agencies.html

or better yet, contact the National Passport Information Center for more detailed information: 1-877-487-2778

TIP: When calling above #, pretend you don't have a touch-tone phone & you will be routed to a "real" person.

Mike, I do hope you can salvage part of your trip...

Make sure your passport is good 6 months after your return date. Seems a waste to get them early but that's the deal.

Mike I also want to thank you...we will be traveling in Sept and my husbands passport expires March 2016......we never would have thought anything of it until your post....big thanks!

Make sure your passport is good 6 months after your return date. Seems a waste to get them early but that's the deal.

Let's be clear about this, Mike ran into trouble because his passport would expire 88 days from the date of his departure from the USA to the Schengen Zone. Schengen rules say you must have at least 90 (or say 91 days) from date of first entry into Schengen Zone. Since coming from the USA, there is an implied 90 day visa, they don't want your passport expiring before the last day of your legal stay.
Somehow this thread has evolved into people thinking you need 6 months from the date of planned return home.
Here's hoping Mike is now enjoying his trip with his new passport.

First of all, I do hope Mike is enjoying his trip in Italy with his new passport...**

I want to clarify this imperative point for future travelers.
There seems to be some confusion regarding passport validity of 3 months vs 6 months.

• Some countries in the Schengen area (Italy for example) require one's
  passport to be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned date
  of departure from the Schengen area.

• Other countries in the Schengen area (France for example) require
  one's passport to be valid for a minimum of six months at entry,
  and valid for an additional three months beyond your planned date of
  departure from the Schengen area.

Here is an excerpt from the official U.S. Department of State /U.S. Passports & International Travel website:
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html#1

Check the expiration date on your passport carefully before traveling to Europe. Entry into any of the 26 European countries in the Schengen area for short-term tourism, a business trip, or in transit to a non-Schengen destination, requires that your passport be valid for at least three months beyond your intended date of departure. If your passport does not meet the Schengen requirements, you may be refused boarding by the airline at your point of origin or while transferring planes. You could also be denied entry when you arrive in the Schengen area. For this reason, we recommend that your passport have at least six months’validity remaining whenever you travel abroad.

You may want to refer to this website to check your destination requirements: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country.html

Buon viaggio! :-)

I posted on the thread in General Europe but thought it might be helpful to clarify here as well. I believe that's an error on the US government website. The Canadian government states 3 months from depature, like Italy. And I checked France's government sites. They also state 3months from departure.

I'm curious to know if Mike finally got his renewal and if he is happily somewhere in Italy, or licking his wounds back home...

Nigel,
As far as I know, the OP never reported back to us.

Other countries in the Schengen area (France for example) require
one's passport to be valid for a minimum of six months at entry,

The state department's info is outdated. There is now a uniform rule among all Schengen countries that there has to be three month validity. Before this rule there were also some countries like Germany, Brussels, and Luxembourg that no expiration rule. Passport simply needed to be valid for the duration of the trip.
Now a uniform rule has been set for everyone: three months.

@Priscilla, you probably learned this when you called the agency, but for what it's worth: they send the new passport and expired passport to you in separate envelopes and at separate times. I don't know why they do that. I renewed mine in 2008 so I assume some things have changed since then, but I received my new one in a couple weeks, like you said, and it took much longer (maybe 6 weeks) to get my expired one. I was worried it got lost in the mail or that they now kept expired ones, but that wasn't the case.