Validity of Passports Extended Beyond Expiration Date
Posted Nov 16, 1998

The U.S. government has agreements with many countries which enable passports from those countries to automatically be considered to have a validity date six months beyond the actual date of expiration. This is an important benefit because persons applying for visas to the U.S. are required by U.S. law to have a passport which is valid six months beyond the date of the anticipated stay in the U.S., and which would enable the bearer to return to his or her country, or travel to another country during that period.

To make it more convenient for their citizens to travel, many countries have entered into agreements with the U.S. government that guarantee that the passport holder will be admitted back into their country up to six months past the expiration date of the passport.

The State Department has now published an updated list of those countries. Some 90 countries have such agreements. Six countries (Argentina, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovak Republic, South Africa and Togo) have been added to the list, while a few more, including Guatemala, Guyana and Iran, have been deleted.