General Discussion

BlueMTexpat

(15,369 posts) Sat Jan 30, 2016, 07:39 AM Jan 2016

Hurry up and renew your passport!

If your passpart is set to expire between now and 2018 ... it is better to renew now, as this article recommends.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/28/news/passport-expire-renew-travel/index.html?sr=fbCNN012916passport-expire-renew-travel1047AMStoryLink&linkId=20773674

Mine was set to expire in Nov 2016. But as I travel fairly often and Switzerland requires that passports be valid for at least three months beyond the duration of stay, while the US requires that they be valid for at least six months beyond the duration of stay, etc., I had mine renewed this past November to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Nearly 49 million passports are set to expire within the next three years, and government officials are warning there will be an flood of renewal requests through 2018.

The reason: A U.S. law that went into effect in 2007 requires U.S. citizens to use a passport when traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

As a result, nearly 18 million passports were issued in 2007 alone, and since passports are only good for 10 years, all of these will soon be up for renewal.

Adding to the time crunch is the fact that many European countries won't accept passports within six months of their expiration date.

yeoman6987

(14,449 posts)

1. Now to me this is a helpful story that will help many travelers

Reply to BlueMTexpat (Original post)

Sat Jan 30, 2016, 10:09 AM

Jan 2016

I think it should be in all the papers every couple months for the next 3 years and I think a letter to everyone who applied for a passport in 2007. It might cost a little money but it is worth it because it helps Americans and the agency. Mine expires the next time is 2021 but I still love this idea of getting the word out.