Passport validity is the quietest but the strictest condition of a travel plan. You prepare the documents, you get the visa, you close the ticket. Then at the border it turns out that the passport expires in five months, and that is not enough. The rule is international and its exceptions are few. Below I have written the validity period, the blank pages and the new-passport question one by one.
How many months of passport validity you need
| Schengen countries | At least 3 months after the date of departure |
| Most Asian and Gulf countries | At least 6 months after the date of entry |
| Turkey | At least 150 days, for the visa-free regime |
| Britain and the United States | Must cover the period of the trip |
The Schengen rule is very often misunderstood. There the three months are counted from the planned date of departure, not the date of entry. On top of that the passport itself must have been issued within the last ten years; old extended documents are not accepted.
Passport validity and the blank page requirement
A visa sticker takes up a whole page, so consulates require at least two blank pages. Some countries ask for three, and that creates a problem particularly for people who travel a great deal.
By a blank page they mean a page with no stamp or visa on it at all. The notes pages at the back do not count. If the pages have run out, there is no way round it other than getting a new passport.
An old visa when you get a new passport
If there is still a valid visa in the old passport, it remains in force. You simply have to carry both passports with you when you travel, because the visa is in the old document and your identity in the new one. At the border you present the two together.
Some airlines accept only one document number at online check-in, and then you have to check in at the desk. Transferring the visa into the new passport is not possible; there is no such procedure.
Read more: A Schengen countries travel guide: 29 countries on one visa, choosing a route, trains and budget
If the document is lost before the passport validity ends
A damaged passport may not be accepted at the border. Do not set out with a document that has been soaked, torn or had its laminate lift; that is among the most common reasons for being turned back. Look the passport over carefully before the trip.
If it is lost abroad, you get a statement from the local police and apply to the embassy, and a temporary document is issued. Before the trip put a photo of the passport on your phone and in your email; that speeds the process up considerably. Document rules are published on the site of the State Migration Service.
A short conclusion
Passport validity should be checked months before the trip, because getting a new document takes time. For Schengen leave three months after departure, for most other countries six, and keep two blank pages. To build the document and visa plan together, fill in the application form.
Note: validity requirements vary by country, so check an official source before the trip.
