Before traveling check your passport condition

[dnoblett]

Your Passport Might Not Be Valid in Some Countries Even If It Hasn't Expired Yet

 

 

 

Before you head off for that international trip, make sure you check the expiration date on your passport. Even if it’s past the date of your return, you still might not be allowed to travel, depending on the country you’re visiting.

 

CBC News points out that many countries require a passport to be valid for a certain amount of time beyond the end of a visit to their country:

 

The rule is in place in order to ensure a visitor who unexpectedly needs to stay for a period longer than originally planned still has a valid passport to leave the country. Some countries require passports to be valid for at least six months beyond the end of a stay.

So if your passport expires in 70 days, you might run into trouble on your way to France, which requires passports to be valid for 90 days after the return date on your ticket.

Though not a new rule, it’s something you might not know if you don’t travel globally often and think that your passport is valid because of the expiration date.

 

One couple in CBC News’ story lost thousands of dollars due to this issue, having to change their flights and cut short a dream vacation. To avoid having this happen to you, look up the country’s passport requirements before you travel there

http://lifehacker.com/psa-your-passport-might-not-be-valid-in-some-countries-1735449005

 

Related: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/preventable-passport-problem-costs-family-thousands-1.3260678

[dnoblett]

Ok here is another one to check. What is the condition of your passport, in good condition or does it look like your dog tried eating it?

 

 

 

 

A newlywed bride says she wants to warn other travelers after she was banned from flying to her honeymoon because her passport was deemed “damaged” by an airport employee.

 

But when they arrived at Philadelphia International Airport for their trip on Sunday, they were stopped by a U.S. Airways representative. The employee told Baker that her passport, seen below, was too damaged to fly with.

 

http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2015-10/13/12/enhanced/webdr10/grid-cell-18462-1444754025-3.jpghttp://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2015-10/13/12/enhanced/webdr10/grid-cell-18462-1444754026-6.jpg

 

 

After the first employee left, Baker said she was directed to a second employee. That woman, who Baker said she believed was a manager, told the couple the passport seemed fine.

 

http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2015-10/13/13/enhanced/webdr02/grid-cell-20727-1444757940-3.jpg

 

“I referenced the strings,” Baker said. “She took my passport to the back room and snipped them off, and said I’d be fine.”

However, the manager then learned that her colleague had made a note in Baker’s travel file saying she could not fly on that passport.

“She tried getting her boss to override my restriction, but [her] boss clearly did not want to throw the first manager under [the] bus by putting an override on file over her first opinion,” Baker said.

The State Department does restrict traveling with passports that have been “significantly damaged,” but that determination is made largely on a case-by-case basis.

 

According to the department, significant damage to a passport includes “water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages [torn out], a hole punch, or other injuries.”

 

However, the government does allow for “normal wear and tear” on the passport, which it says is “to be expected.”

 

 

MORE: http://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/damaged-passport-honeymoon