Is “check passports” on your to-do list for planning your summer travel? If your summer travel plans involve boarding a plane to another country, you are going to need to have a valid passport book! Planning to pack the kids in the car and drive over the Canadian border? You’ll need to have a valid US passport book or passport card for every member of your family. Even newborn babies need to have their very own passport!
Check Your Passports
There are three things you should check on your passport to make sure it is fully valid for travel:
- Validity. How long do you have left before your passport expires? Many countries require you to have at least six months validity remaining, and won’t let you enter if your passport is close to expiring. Remember to check the kids’ passports, too — passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years instead of 10.
- Blank Pages. Look for blank pages marked “Visas.” This will be used for the entry stamp when you arrive. You’ll need at least one of these blank pages for every country you will fly into. The pages at the back of your passport marked “Endorsements” do not count!
- Condition. Is your passport still in good shape? Badly damaged passports are not valid for travel. Heavy water damage, a loose cover, torn or missing pages, or peeling plastic film are all reasons your passport could be considered invalid.
If your passport is close to expiring or running out of blank pages, G3 can assist you with a passport renewal. Damaged passports will need to be replaced using the mutilated passport procedure. Can’t find your passport at all? We can help with that, too.
Passport Requirements for Summer Travel Destinations
Wondering what the passport requirements are for the country you’ll visit this summer? Below, we’ve listed the specific passport requirements for some popular destinations. If the nation you’ll visit isn’t listed here, you can visit the US State Department’s Country Specific Information page to find out how much passport validity and how many blank passport pages you will need for your trip.
- Mexico: Your passport must be valid for at least six months past the end of your trip, and must have at least one blank page. If you are driving into Mexico, you can use either a passport book or passport card.
- Jamaica: Your passport must be valid at the time of entry and must have at least one blank page.
- Canada: Your passport must be valid at the time of entry and must have at least one blank page. If you are driving into Canada, you can use either a passport book or passport card.
- United Kingdom: Your passport must be valid for the full duration of your stay and must have at least one blank page.
- France: Your passport must be valid for at least six months past the end of your trip, and must have at least one blank page.
- Italy: Your passport must have at least one blank visa page and must be valid for at least three months past the end of your stay in Europe.
- South Africa: Your passport must have at least two blank pages side-by-side for each entry into South Africa, and must be valid for at least 30 days past the end of your trip.
- Puerto Rico: No passport required! Puerto Rico is a US territory, so US citizens can enter without a passport.