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This is a short post, but I think at least some of you will benefit from it.
My family hasn’t been traveling internationally since the start of the pandemic. I’m hoping that will change next summer. Right now we have a trip to Japan booked via miles. I’m thinking the likelihood of it happening is relatively low, especially in lieu of discovery of a new scary Covid variant ( seriously, is this thing ever going to end?)
Anyway, my backup plan is meeting my Belarusian family in Montenegro. And in order to do that we obviously need valid passports.
I knew my son’s passport was due to expire in a few weeks, so I’ve just made an appointment at our local post office. As most of you know, minors have to apply in person every five years. I was sure that the rest of us are set through 2024. But just in case, I’ve decided to check.
Well, it turns out my husband’s passport will expire at the beginning of August of 2022. And guess what? In order to enter Montenegro (as well as most other countries), your passport has to be valid for three months beyond the date of entry.
If I checked his passport right before our departure, we would be out of luck. We don’t live near a major city, and getting an in-person appointment is very difficult at the moment. In fact, due to Covid pandemic, even regular passport renewal via mail can take three months or longer. So, I’ve decided we might as well renew it now, while we have plenty of time.
We don’t have any international trips booked in the spring, so having passports on hand isn’t critical. As always, attention to detail is important. I’m still working on it.
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Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
This happened to me last year. I had a trip to the Maldives booked for December 2020. At the time of booking, of course I had plenty of time left before my passport expires. By November 2020 I looked at my passport again and realized that I only had 5 months left. The Maldives requires 6 months or more validity. Fortunately, I live near NYC and was able to book an appointment with the passport agency. It was nerve wracking though as they will only let you in if you have a flight leaving in 3 days. But lesson learned, when booking a flight, check your passport expiration date and make sure there’s at least 6 months left on it when arriving at your next destination.
@John I’m glad it worked out for you! For some reason I was convinced his passport is good for several more years. I almost didn’t check. It would have been crazy to miss out on our flight because of this. And here I’m worried about the pandemic! Lesson learned.