Help!! Due to expire passport!!!

peelprincess

My 9 year old daughter and I are due to fly to Florida in the morning. Just looked at her passport and realised it expires in 3 days!!!! Presumed it was a 10 year one like mine.

Rang Passport Agency and British Consulate who have said may be able to fly out with it but then will have to sort it out whilst over there with UK embassy to get her home once it has expired. Has anyone ever flown with a due to expire passport? Do you think they'll let us back into the UK when it has expired by 5 days??

Any advice much appreciated. I am gutted.

sidefx

I'm surprised you got to speak someone at the Passport Agency and British Consulate on a sunday!! I am sure you need 6 months on your passport to get into The States.

whitts

have you got your usa visa ? as i thought that required passport details.

redpete

You also need to check with the airline that they will let you fly. I believe some do not if the passport will not cover the return journey.

You don't need a passport to be valid for min. 6 months, from the US Embassy website (but note the bit I've highlighted):

Does my British passport have to be valid for six months beyond my date of departure from the United States?

No, if your passport is not valid for at least six months beyond your date of departure from the United States, it will not affect your eligibility to travel. The United States has an agreement with the United Kingdom automatically extending the validity of a passport for six months past the passport's expiration date. Therefore, your passport need remain valid only for the duration of your stay in the United States.

If you are traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program and your passport is not valid for 90 days, you will be admitted into the United States until the date on which the passport expires.

Incapuppy

whitts wrote: »

have you got your usa visa ? as i thought that required passport details.

Yes, have you completed the ESTA as I thought perhaps that required passport details, also, aside from the situation regarding the expiry date are the passports machine-readable?

Incapuppy

I found this:

Passports

Valid passport required by all nationals referred to in the chart above; validity varies - for most countries the passport must be valid for at least six months from the date on which the holder enters the USA. If not, the holder will be admitted until the expiration date on the passport; check with the embassy (see Contact Addresses).
Passport Note

(a) For nationals included in the Visa Waiver Program (see Visas), passports must be valid for at least 90 days from date of entry.

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/292/passport_visa/North-America/United-States-of-America.html

Edit: which appears to reinforce redpete's earlier findings

angela110660

Had same prob 2 years ago when off to Italy. Saw afternoon before flight next morning that my passport had expired 10 days previously. Family flew without me - I had to make an apptmt to go personally to London and get a passport done over the counter at Passport office. Took four hours to get it done - went to the V&A to pass the time! Got the passport and then next day flew Flybe to Paris and Ryanair to Italy to meet up with them. Make an apptimt as soon as you can - you still have time and good luck. BTW it does cost you more than standard passport renewal though.

PolishBigSpender

Unfortunately, the onus is upon you to check your travel documentation thoroughly before travelling. Travel insurance will not pay out, and you have as good as lost the holiday. I would be *very* surprised if they'll let you fly to the United States with a passport that's due to expire within days - and even so, it would seem terribly unlikely that they would give you admittance when the passport is due to expire. Unlike in Europe where cursory checks (at best) are often done, the Americans take passport control seriously.

Have you even completed the ESTA application? You won't be flying without having done that.

Jo_Mc_2

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Have you even completed the ESTA application? You won't be flying without having done that.

I would assume that the OP hasn't done that, since the application requires the passport expiry date.

I hope something can be sorted, your daughter must be so upset. I would imagine that leaving it to possibly be sorted by the UK Embassy once in the US would involve a fair bit of disruption to your holiday. As someone pointed out, the US will only allow someone with a soon to expire passport into the country until expiry date so even if you fly out as planned you may experience problems at immigration.

KimYeovil

As long as you don't look like Ms Ciccone or Ms Jolie you should be alright.

dzug1

Your daughter (if she's admitted at all) will be granted a 3 day stay in the US after which she will be classed as an overstayer/illegal immigrant. Even if you manage to renew the passport in the US this fact won't change.

Somehow I think you are not going.

Getting back into the UK wouldn't be a problem - they've no grounds to refuse entry once they've established identity, but they could give you a hard time