How freaked out would you be

[Deleted]

We leave for Mexico next week. My daughter's passport expires Sept 30th of 2015. Mexico wants 6 months of validity from date of travel. Technically we come in 2 weeks shy of 6 months.

Fuck. I don't know what I was thinking back when I checked her passport. I think we were looking at traveling in March at the time and it wasn't an issue so I didn't think about it again until I pulled out her passport tonight.

I checked passport expediting and we wouldn't make it in time.

Fuckity fuck.

[lilafowler]

@booby
You bitch. Lol

[lilafowler]

SIMMAH

[lilafowler]

I'm trying to imagine a Canuck saying Simmer Down (eh)

[underwaterrhymes]

You should be fine. They say that officially, but if you have return tickets and both you and others going with you do have at least six months, they shouldn't give you a problem over a two-week difference.

Have fun!

[HiC]

Go to the passport office and they will tell you what to do. You won't miss your trip.

[lilafowler]

Mar 31, 2015 20:56:15 GMT -5 @booby said:

i also buy drugs in foreign countries (lilafowler), so i'm known to live on the edge.

So do I! I bought weed in Montreal! Lol

[CloudBee]

Get yourself yourself scheduled for an appointment at your closest passport office STAT.

Go online and figure out what documentation you need to expedite. This will include your travel docs.

[CloudBee]

Mar 31, 2015 20:56:41 GMT -5 mofongo said:

What the point of an expiration date if it needs to be renewed 6 months earlier? That's annoying!

If you don't need a visa to enter the country, this is a measure of control. 

[CloudBee]

Mar 31, 2015 20:57:30 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

You should be fine. They say that officially, but if you have return tickets and both you and others going with you do have at least six months, they shouldn't give you a problem over a two-week difference.

Have fun!

No. Bad advice.

Do not take a chance on this.

She may very well arrive at the airport, have the gate agent scan the passport, and DENY them entry onto the plane.

[underwaterrhymes]

Mar 31, 2015 21:04:08 GMT -5 AutumnRose25 said:

Mar 31, 2015 20:56:41 GMT -5 mofongo said:

What the point of an expiration date if it needs to be renewed 6 months earlier? That's annoying!

Her passport date is based on when America issued it, other countries require different lengths of remaining validity for visiting and it has nothing to do with the expiration date for the passport set by the country of issue.

Yes, the longest time a person can stay in Mexico is six months as a.visitor, which is why they want to see six months left.

But Mexico doesn't play this as a hard and fast rule and it depends on the immigration officer. Since there are five and a half months left and the parents both have sufficient time, I think they'll let them through wih no problems. However, if they'd flying, it's possible the airline might flag it and refuse to issue a boarding pass.

[starshine1977]

I might be worried. This is from the State Department's website: travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/FAQs.html

How long is a passport valid and is it true that it needs to have at least 6 months of validity remaining?
If you were age 16 or older when your passport was issued, your passport is valid for 10 years.

If you were age 15 or younger when your passport was issued, your passport is valid for 5 years.

The Issue Date of your passport can be found on the data page of your Passport Book or on the front of your Passport Card.

Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip. Some airlines will not allow you to board if this requirement is not met. Consider the following scenario: A country requires that you have at least six months of validity on your passport. You currently have seven months of validity on your passport. However, your trip is two months from now. At that point, you will only have five months of validity remaining on your passport which is not enough to satisfy that country's entry requirements. In this situation, you would need to renew your passport before you can make your trip.


Check our Country Specific Information to learn about entry and exit requirements for the country or countries in which you are traveling. Watch this short YouTube video about why you need at least six months of validity on your U.S. passport! www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T0RqyF1nsE

If your passport has already expired, you may still be able to renew your passport by mail. See How to Renew Your U.S. Passport.

[underwaterrhymes]

Mar 31, 2015 21:10:29 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Mar 31, 2015 20:57:30 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

You should be fine. They say that officially, but if you have return tickets and both you and others going with you do have at least six months, they shouldn't give you a problem over a two-week difference.

Have fun!

No. Bad advice.

Do not take a chance on this.

She may very well arrive at the airport, have the gate agent scan the passport, and DENY them entry onto the plane.

That's what I just said in my revised post below yours. Mexico is not a country that is strict with this, but airlines can be.

[lilafowler]

Mexico? Tenochtitlan

[Deleted]

I called United. They said they would not deny her boarding. Only if her passport was to expire while we were on the trip. So let's say we left April 4th our return is on April 11th and her passport expired April 10th.

Entry into Mexico is a different story but I can't imagine they would be so strict over 2 weeks. She's 5 for god's sake and traveling with the entire family to a tourist destination for a one week trip.

[themoneytree]

My friend went to the airport heavily pregnant for their baby moon trip and they were denied their flights to Mexico. In a turn of events that I would not have believed if I hadn't seen it (and which would never have worked for me), they were able to get all their points back and use Them for the new flights and hotels somewhere else (DR maybe?) on the same day so it wasn't so bad. But. You probably don't want to deal with something like at the airport. I would call your closest passport office for an appointment ASAP.

[starshine1977]

Good news! That was a good idea to call the airport. Now you can relax and get ready for your trip

[isabel]

Mar 31, 2015 21:31:50 GMT -5 themoneytree said:

My friend went to the airport heavily pregnant for their baby moon trip and they were denied their flights to Mexico. In a turn of events that I would not have believed if I hadn't seen it (and which would never have worked for me), they were able to get all their points back and use Them for the new flights and hotels somewhere else (DR maybe?) on the same day so it wasn't so bad. But. You probably don't want to deal with something like at the airport. I would call your closest passport office for an appointment ASAP.

Why were they denied their flights?

[themoneytree]

Mar 31, 2015 23:00:36 GMT -5 isabel said:

Mar 31, 2015 21:31:50 GMT -5 themoneytree said:

My friend went to the airport heavily pregnant for their baby moon trip and they were denied their flights to Mexico. In a turn of events that I would not have believed if I hadn't seen it (and which would never have worked for me), they were able to get all their points back and use Them for the new flights and hotels somewhere else (DR maybe?) on the same day so it wasn't so bad. But. You probably don't want to deal with something like at the airport. I would call your closest passport office for an appointment ASAP.

Why were they denied their flights?

Because she didn't have enough validity left on her passport. I can't remember how much the discrepancy was though. I know she would have got there and back with a valid passport, but whether she would have had one or five month's buffer I don't remember.

[thecatinthehat]

I personally would go to the passport office asap. The airline person taking your call will not be the same person at the gate and that person can deny you boarding on the plane. Or they could allow you to board but then Mexico won't let your enter. It is not a risk I am willing to take and sort out the day of the trip.

Given that the buffer is so small, I have a strong feeling you will be fine but it is not a risk I am personally willing to take.

[wise_rita]

Apr 1, 2015 1:42:01 GMT -5 @mx said:

I've also had to argue my way onto planes because I was traveling to a country where I'd get a visa on entry and the check in agent refused to believe that I could acquire a visa on arrival. Or because they misread the visa in my passport. 

Or, who could ever believe such a fairy tale, have a perfectly valid visa but no sticker in your passport to prove it.  Shockingly there are countries (country? Australia) who have joined the 21st century and do electronic visa systems so they don't have any outward proof of it. 

OP, calling United means fuck all.  Them letting her on the plane means fuck all (if they even do, consistency is not an airlines greatest strength, especially when it comes to breaking rules).  That doesn't mean Mexico will let her in.

Like @mx said all it takes is one stickler immigration agent on a power trip.

The fact that she's 5 makes me think she's got a better shot than an adult, but I would move heaven and earth to get that thing renewed before you go.  Otherwise you better have a workable contingency plan for one parent and her to buy a last minute flight back home and miss the trip. 

[wise_rita]

Mar 31, 2015 20:56:41 GMT -5 mofongo said:

What the point of an expiration date if it needs to be renewed 6 months earlier? That's annoying!

The reason, I have heard, is that if you have a serious medical condition and you're in a coma for an extended period of time, the country you're laid up in sure as hell doesn't want you there without a valid passport to get you out.

I'm sure there are a million and one different reasons, but whatever the reason thems the breaks.  You follow the rules.

[Deleted]

Yeah, I'd get yourself to a passport office. They're sporadically around the country in large cities. Don't play fast and loose with this.

[4speedy]

Mar 31, 2015 20:56:41 GMT -5 mofongo said:

What the point of an expiration date if it needs to be renewed 6 months earlier? That's annoying!

The host country wants to make sure that there is enough time remaining on your passport to return to your home country.  They are trying to prevent people from entering their country with, say, 3 months of validity on their passport with the intention of staying through the winter for 4 months.  They don't want travelers getting stranded in their country.  

The he expiration is good in that the U.S. will allow you to return on that passport up to the date of expiration.  But a foreign country can choose not to let you in if they don't think you will exit before that timeframe.  Usually, showing your travel agenda with a paid ticket home before your passport expires will suffice.

[snowflurry]

I had no idea there was a rule like this out there. Glad I read this thread.

Looks like the best advice is to go to the nearest passport office and try to work something out.

[wise_rita]

Apr 1, 2015 8:19:47 GMT -5 snowflurry said:

I had no idea there was a rule like this out there. Glad I read this thread.

Anytime you go anywhere Google "consular information sheet <name of country>. This will tell you everything you need to know about visiting that country, such as the 6 month passport validity rule, visa requirements, etc.

Assuming you're American, of course. Other countries will have a similar thing.

[wise_rita]

For real, @que about bent corners?

Dude.

[Captain Serious]

Yeah, Is never go to a country without the full validity they require left in the passport. Not only might they not let you in, but God forbid something happens to delay your return. You'd have to get a new passport from the US Embassy before being able to travel home.

[Deleted]

I'd go to the passport office right away (so pretty concerned!).

[v]

Oh god, I would not ever rely on anything one random United customer service rep told me. No way. That airline is so ridiculous that I wouldn't trust their CEO telling me that either.

I'd go to a passport renewal office stat. If you can't get anything sorted in the next week I suppose try your luck, but it could go either way so I wouldn't take your chances if you don't have to take your chances.