Passport expiry date and ESTA.

MsSupertech

:think: A bit of a dilemma... I'm planning a trip to the US next September (2012). My passport expires in March 2013.
I know I can 'carry forward' nine months on my passport expiry date if I renew it early. I want to book my flights early in the new year and don't want to risk a mix up if I renew my passport after booking but before I travel. (I would obviously have a new passport number). Since the introduction of ESTA is it still necessary for UK passports to be valid for 6 months after my travel? The ESTA website doesn'r specifiaclly mention this. If it's no longer a requirement for a passport to be valid for 6 months after travel I will be fine. Otherwise I will really need to renew my passport now which effectively means losing several months on my current passport.

Spursman180

No dilemma, there have been similar themed posts and one of the good angels on here will either explain or direct you to the appropriate post.

AFAIK your passport only needs to be valid for the period of your 90 days max stay on entry, getting a new passport will mean getting a new ESTA, not sure if extending your passport will require the same?

MsSupertech

Thanks. Don't think extending my passport is an option but I'll be happy if I can delay renewal until after my holiday in September.

Andream

I have the same situation

Foreign and Commonwealth Office / USA travel advice 05/10/11


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 travelling 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.

jackieblack

MsSupertech wrote: »

Thanks. Don't think extending my passport is an option but I'll be happy if I can delay renewal until after my holiday in September.

Yes you can. As others have advised you do not need to have 6 months left on your passport after your trip.

If you get a new passport the number will be different and you will have to get a new ESTA.

Even though an ESTA is valid for 2 years, if your passport expires during that 2 year period your ESTA will only be valid until the passport expiry date.

Either leave the renewal until after your trip or renew it before you go and apply for the ESTA using the new passport number.

If you renew within 9 months of the expiry date the new passport will be valid for 10 years from the expiry date of your existing passport. If you renew the passport more than 9 months before your passport expires they will just add 9 months on to the date the new passport is issued.

MsSupertech

Thanks folks. I'll be renewing when I get back then

chocolateteddy

When we went to florida in Feb this year the childrens passports ran out in july leaving less than six months after our return, The travel agent insisted we would need to renew childrens passports as they didn't have six months left I looked into it and found you didn't, we had no problems except that now we are returning to Florida for Christmas we had to pay to get new estas for them as they ran out with the passports.(we had purchased them last year before charge was introduced, so ours are still valid but the children's aren't)

ferf1223

chocolateteddy wrote: »

The travel agent insisted we would need to renew childrens passports as they didn't have six months left I looked into it and found you didn't

I know they are just covering their bottoms by repeating this information to anyone who walks in the door...but it drives me completely crazy.

I swear that I am going to start going in and mystery shopping travel agents for my own amusement, just to see what complete mis-information they provide.