If you look like your passport photo you’re too ill to travel.
Will Kommen
Depending on your passport’s expiration date as a cue to
renew may not be a good idea. My friend just had a horrible experience
attempting to travel with a valid passport.
He and his girlfriend set off for a wonderful week
in Paris. I dropped them off at the airport and headed home. I had almost
reached my destination when I got a phone call to come back to the airport and
pick them up – no explanation. I made a u-turn and headed back to the airport
quite worried about what could have possibly happened in so short an interval.
When they got into the car she looked like she’d been
crying and he was livid. As they attempted to check in with the airline they
were informed that although his passport was valid for another 3 weeks (they
would only be in Paris for 1 week so his passport was valid for the duration of
their stay in Paris and 2 weeks beyond) the French require that all passports
be valid for a minimum of 3 months. They booked the trip with Expedia and had
to supply their passport numbers at the time of booking. If his documents
were not in order why didn’t anyone let him know? This was not a last minute
trip. He would have had ample time to renew his passport.
I’ve done some research and there is no uniformity when it
comes to passport requirements. It’s entirely up to the host country’s
discretion and subject to change without notice. As a Canadian, if we travel to
the U.S. or UK a passport only needs to be valid for the duration of your trip.
However most other countries have a 3 month (as was the case with France) or 6
month requirement. If you are a Canadian planning foreign travel please save
yourself a lot of aggravation and go to the Government
of Canada website – Travel Advice and Advisories. Select a destination and
read about the entry/exit requirements. Although the transportation carrier
should apprise you of the information, clearly my friend’s experience demonstrates
that they can’t be depended upon to do so.
Don’t take chances and renew your passport 6 months prior to
expiration. No one wants to go through what my friends did.
A passport, as I'm sure you know, is a document that one shows to
government officials whenever one reaches a border between two countries, so
that the official can learn who you are, where you were born, and how you look
when photographed unflatteringly.
Lemony Snicket
Make someone smile today.
Geri
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