Passports - Expiration Buffer

It's not so much the immigration officials you have to worry about, it's the airlines. They are legally obligated to make sure your passport/visa is compliant. As more airlines are using automated check-in machines at the airports, this kind of stuff is checked more frequently. In the past when humans were involved they weren't so rigorous and didn't always bother to look.
Having said all that your fiancee's passport is kosher for travel, and I would travel on it.
A couple months ago I traveled to Austria and the UK on a passport with 5 months validity on it and it wasn't an issue with the airlines or the immigration folks.

We spent a month in Italy in October 2013 with a passport ( mine) that expired in February 2014--- 3 months and 24 days later. Absolutely no issue with either the airline ( British Airways) or the immigration officials in the UK, Germany, or Italy ( we visited the other two countries on our way to Italy).

Your fiancée has a good reason for not wanting to renew just yet ( the name change). I would not worry about it.

Excellent; thanks for the insight.

Because somebody here says to "not worry about" is no consolation to you or your wife when you show up at the airport for your departure flight to your honeymoon and the airlines refuse you entry. You're the one who has to deal with the repercussions...not anybody here on a travel forum. Do what you think is necessary to have a successful honeymoon!

Joe,

While your wife's Passport should theoretically be fine, there's no guarantee you won't encounter an over officious bureaucrat or airline employee who misinterprets the expiry date rule and denies flight boarding. In the same situation and considering the important occasion, I'd probably err on the side of caution and get the Passport renewed early in the new year. You have lots of time until next fall, so this shouldn't be a problem.

I'd also like to congratulate you both!

Get his passport renewed prior to the trip- one less thing for you to worry about as you prepare for the big day!

First, congratulations! Second, saying "Lola on the Rick Steves Travel Forum said I'd be okay" will carry exactly zero weight if you happen to get an official who's in a cranky mood, especially given recent heightened security concerns.

I appreciate the additional comments.

I recognize that I solicited doomsday scenarios with my open question, and obviously we'll make a final decision based on the totality of the circumstances. I guess my hangup is paying $110 to renew her passport before the honeymoon and then another $110 to change her last name when we get back, especially when the passport meets State Department/Schengen travel requirements. Peace of mind is worth the cost, of course, but still...that's train tickets from Venice to Rome out the window!

I went to Spain 2 years ago with no issues, and no questions asked, and had more than 90 but less than 180 days left on my passport at the time. Especially considering having to get a new passport with a married name in the near future anyway, I'd bet on her being able to use her current passport and getting a new one in 5 months.

Nine years earlier, on a trip from Denver to Sofia, Bulgaria (with a transfer in London after a 1 night layover), I had less than 3 months to go, not realizing the requirements. No one at the British Airways check-in desk in Denver said a thing; I was allowed to board the plane and fly to London. No one in London batted an eye, and I was allowed to enter the country. The next morning at Heathrow, however, they wouldn't let me on the plane to Sofia, so the family had an unexpected (and fun, but unplanned and expensive) stay for several days in London while I got to the U.S. Embassy, then down the street for passport photos, then back to the embassy for a new passport before they closed for the weekend. It was Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., and a Bank Holiday in the U.K., and places were going to be closed for several days while it seemed that all of England was flying out of the country. So all was not lost, but it cut short the Bulgaria portion of the trip.

Why not call the particular airline and see if you can get their policy in writing?

That said, we have a similar situation with one daughter this June. Hers will expire four months after we leave/three months after we get back, and we are just renewing to have peace of mind.

From the travel.state.gov website:

"If your name has legally changed through marriage, divorce, or a court ordered change of name, you will need to apply for a new passport. The process and cost depend on how long it has been since your passport was issued.

If less than one year has passed since your passport was issued:

You will not have to pay any passport or processing fees, unless you request Expedited Service."

As I read this your fiance can renew her passport before you go on your honeymoon and then apply for a new one with the name change after you return and if it's still within a year, there is no add'l charge.

You might want to contact one of the US passport offices and ask them to verify this. They will give you the most correct information for your situation.

Thanks for that information, Nancy; it is incredibly helpful. I found the information you quoted on the State Department website and it offers a near-ideal resolution to the problem. We'll wait until after the New Year and just renew both passports early. We'll have plenty of time after the honeymoon and before the 1 year period to change her passport.

That is good information and changes the situation---makes it less expensive to get the new passport now if she chooses to.

I will just say that there is a difference between "required" and "recommended.". She will not be denied boarding with a passport expiry date 5 months beyond their return date. But if for some crazy reason the gate agent challenged her, she would quote the State Department advice for Italy, not Lola.

I'm glad to see you've found a resolution. I have nothing to add but best wishes to your fiancée and congratulations to you!

I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon. My wife and I leave Saturday for Tuscany to celebrate 50 years since we went on a high school trip to Europe together. May your marriage be as long and happy as ours has been!

Not the same situation but I needed a replacement passport in an emergency - it was valid for one year, and I could apply for the new passport within 364 days of the date of issue on the replacement passport at no cost (except expediting if you choose that).

I would get the passport renewed and then apply for a new one as soon as you get back.

Last year I had to use one of those places which expedite fast renewal of passports, because I had two international trips planned (my passport would expire before the second one, but I wasn't sure I'd get the new one back in time for the first one). Of course it cost extra $ to get my new passport in one week, but it was worth it for my piece of mind. The little place I used, in Tempe, Arizona, was very businesslike and cordial.

I also used an expediter last year because I just didn't want to take a chance that some official somewhere in the chain decided he didn't like the cut of the jib of my passport, or something like that. Ironically I couldn't go the actual passport office in LA because I wasn't CLOSE enough to a travel fail. And don't forget, we're now and for the foreseeable future in a state of heightened security and scrutiny so you don't want to do or have anything that makes you stick out from the crowd.