Martin B Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 My wife came back to the US a few days ago. As she was getting her boarding pass in Beijing, the airline employee stumbled a bit because my wife's Chinese passport is due to expire May 2020. The employee ended up calling the supervisor who cleared her to board but it did make my wife worry a bit. The airline employee said she may have trouble traveling on a passport with <6 months validity. US CBP didn't say anything. Our plan is to go to China early January to pick up her daughter and bring her back a few days later. Upon arrival to Chicago, my wife was planning renew the passport at the consulate and wait for the new passport to be shipped (no plans to travel to China next year except January). Is this something we should be worried about at all? Or was the airline employee incorrect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy W Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 The airline employee was obviously incorrect - your wife was allowed to exit China using her passport, and then be admitted to the U.S. with her green card. The six month rule for passports generally applies when using a visa, but yes, she can have problems traveling with a soon-to-expire passport, as she's already seen. It's best to get a new one as soon as she can. Like NOW ? Six-Month Passport Validity Rule for Entering the U.S. on a Non-Immigrant Visa. Visitors traveling to the United States are required to be in possession of passports that are valid for six months beyond the period of their intended stay in the United States. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted December 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 The airline employee was obviously incorrect - your wife was allowed to exit China using her passport, and then be admitted to the U.S. with her green card. The six month rule for passports generally applies when using a visa, but yes, she can have problems traveling with a soon-to-expire passport, as she's already seen. It's best to get a new one as soon as she can. Like NOW ? Six-Month Passport Validity Rule for Entering the U.S. on a Non-Immigrant Visa. Visitors traveling to the United States are required to be in possession of passports that are valid for six months beyond the period of their intended stay in the United States. Biggest hiccup is that renewals take some time (plus a visit to the consulate) and we were hoping to do this trip early January... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy W Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 No extra fees are charged for expedited processing if approved. Normal processing time is 10 business days when applying from Mainland China, and 15 business days from Chinese diplomatic missions outside Mainland China (including Hong Kong and Macau). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newacct Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 As far as the US CBP is concerned, someone with a valid green card does not even need a passport to re-enter the US. See this answer from CBP: "United States (U.S.) LPRs do not need a passport to enter the U.S.". And from the CBP carrier information guide (page 28): "A Lawful Permanent Resident may travel to the United States without a passport with a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)." But airline staff and Chinese exit control might still give you trouble for having a passport that is almost expired. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 As far as the US CBP is concerned, someone with a valid green card does not even need a passport to re-enter the US. See this answer from CBP: "United States (U.S.) LPRs do not need a passport to enter the U.S.". And from the CBP carrier information guide (page 28): "A Lawful Permanent Resident may travel to the United States without a passport with a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)." But airline staff and Chinese exit control might still give you trouble for having a passport that is almost expired. That's what we figured. We'll have leave extra time in case there is a hiccup and have the relevant info at hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy W Posted December 10, 2019 Report Share Posted December 10, 2019 As far as the US CBP is concerned, someone with a valid green card does not even need a passport to re-enter the US. See this answer from CBP: "United States (U.S.) LPRs do not need a passport to enter the U.S.". And from the CBP carrier information guide (page 28): "A Lawful Permanent Resident may travel to the United States without a passport with a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)." But airline staff and Chinese exit control might still give you trouble for having a passport that is almost expired. Thanks for posting that guide - it looks like it'll be very useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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