Last minute doubts, a classic. With the nerves of the trip, we have forgotten the most important thing, which is nothing other than checking that all our documentation is in order and, therefore, we are authorized to travel outside of Spain.
There are many who believe that a valid passport will be enough, although the truth is that you need a passport with a minimum validity of 6 months to travel to many destinations.
Here you can find out, among other things, about:
- If your passport meets the requirements to fly to the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, or China, for example.
- Which countries prohibit traveling with a passport that expires in less than 6 months.
- Or what to do in an emergency.
The expiration date of my passport is in more than 6 months: is everything ok?
If the expiration date of your passport is in 6 months or more, you could still have problems crossing the border. This is because many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months on the day you plan to travel back. That is, your passport must be valid for more than six months during the entire stay.
This requirement is normally established by those countries that also require visas. Therefore, it is done with the intention of allowing people to request a visa extension and stay in the country for a few more months, whether they are registered in the Consular Matriculation Registry or not. Check here the list of countries that do not require a visa for Spaniards.
In other cases, it will be enough for the Spanish passport to be valid for more than six months on the day of your departure, as long as you plan to return home before your travel document expires.
Which countries ask for 6 months of validity for the passport
Below is the list of countries that require the traveler to have a Spanish passport valid for at least six months during the entire stay:
- Algeria
- Australia
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Cambodia
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- USA. Only if you plan to apply for a visa.
- Gambia
- Guatemala
- India
- Israel
- Jamaica
- the maldives
- Mexico
- Peru
- Dominican Republic
- Russia
- Senegal
- Sri Lanka
- thailand
- Tanzania
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
If what you are thinking of is taking a trip to the Czech Republic, Estonia or another member country of the European Union (specifically, the Schengen Area), it will not even be necessary to have a passport. It will be enough to bring your national identity document, issued by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
My passport is less than 6 months old: what do I do?
When the document is valid for less than six months, it will depend on the tourist destination in question whether the traveler is exempt or has no other choice but to renew his passport.
For example, for trips to the United States, it will be enough to have a valid passport for the duration of the stay and an ESTA document.
If you intend to travel to one of the countries mentioned in the previous section and your passport, even though it is valid, does not meet the travel requirements, since the expiration date is in the next six months, you must renew it before traveling. The option of renewing your passport later through the consular office or diplomatic representation is therefore ruled out.
The same requirements apply to a child’s passport, so you may want to consider renewing the passports of several family members at once by requesting a multiple appointment. This allows managing the passport of up to 3 (three) relatives in a single appointment.
In exceptional cases in which the Spanish citizen travels in the next two weeks, for example due to a business trip, and therefore surely does not have time to renew his passport, it will be possible to obtain the so-called emergency passport.
Whether the applicant proceeds to renew a passport or issue an emergency one, they must gather the necessary documents well in advance.
Frequently asked questions about the minimum validity of a passport
Next, we make available to our readers the most frequent questions, referring to the necessary validity of a passport document to travel abroad.
What does a passport valid for 6 months mean?
It means that the passport must be valid for at least 6 (six) months.
Why does the passport have to be valid for 6 months?
A passport does not always have to be valid for six months. Even so, it is often required to comply with this condition to travel to foreign countries, outside of Europe. This is because the tourist could apply for a visa extension once there.
What happens if my passport is less than 6 months old?
This will depend on the country you are planning to travel to. For example, to travel to most countries in Europe, specifically those part of the Schengen Area, you don’t even need a passport. For other countries like the United States, on the other hand, it is enough for the passport to be valid for the duration of the stay. Still, most countries require a passport valid for at least 6 months. You can check the entire list in this article.
Passport with a minimum validity of 6 months: key data
It will be enough to have a valid passport to travel to many countries, such as the United States. Or you could even travel outside of Spain with an expired passport.
In other cases, we must have a passport that is valid for more than six months, even after our return trip in some cases. Normally, this is required by those countries that separately request visas from Spanish travelers.
Do you need to renew your passport? Keep reading.