Is your passport expiring soon? Learn what you can and can't do with an expired passport.
The length of time that your passport needs to be valid until for you to travel on it will differ depending on your citizenship and the country that you're flying to.
Usually, the maximum amount of time that a country will require your passport to be valid for will be at least six months. In other cases, it might be necessary for your passport to be valid for 28 days or one month past your date of exit. And, sometimes, your passport will only need to be valid for the length of your stay.
It's best to check with the governing body of the country that your passport is issued from to see what the restrictions are.
Generally, a passport will expire 5 or 10 years past the date that it was issued, but this will differ depending on the country of the passport. The expiry date of your passport will be written inside your passport, along with the date that it was issued, so you can check the date it is valid until yourself.
Take a look at our table which shows the expiration period for each country.
Yes, you can book a flight with an expired passport, but only because a passport isn't actually required to book a flight, regardless of whether it's valid or invalid. The vast majority of airlines will only ask for your passport when you come to check-in for your flight, in which case, an expired passport is not valid for check-in.
On international flights, you cannot travel on an expired passport. Depending on the country of the passport you're travelling on and the destination that you're travelling to, your passport might need to be valid for up to at least six months past your date of travel. Please bear in mind that you'll be refused entry into the country if your passport isn't valid.
No, an expired passport isn't a form of valid identification for domestic flights. Although — unlike international flights — a passport isn't essential for domestic travel, airlines do require you to present an in-date form of photo identification (such as a valid passport, drivers license or a form of photo ID distributed by an educational body).
No, you can't travel back to your country on an expired passport if your passport expires while you're away. In fact, if your passport is due to expire before the return flight to your country, you won't be allowed to enter the country that you're visiting in the first place. To gain entry to a country, at the very minimum, your passport must be valid for the length of your stay.
Before flying please ensure to check that your passport is valid for the time period you're away on holiday.
If you realise your passport has expired and you're supposed to go away soon, you should contact the authority that is in charge of issuing passports in your country. As long as the date of travel isn't too close, they might be able to arrange an emergency passport to be issued to you before you go away.
No, TSA will not accept an expired passport for a flight. For international travel, a valid passport is essential. For domestic flights, a valid passport isn't essential, but you must have some form of valid photo identification that hasn't expired.
We don't recommend disposing of your old passport, especially if you have a valid visa's inside of it. An old passport can still hold some value as it acts as evidence that you're a citizen of that country. If you do keep your passport, you should keep it in a safe place.
If you do decide to dispose of your passport, it's a good idea to shred or burn it, to protect it from fraudsters.
Yes, expired passports can be renewed. It's essential that you renew your passport to ensure that it's valid if you're travelling on an international flight to another country. Passport renewals can be done at any time - please note that when travelling to some countries your passport must be valid at least 6 months before the passport expiration date.
To renew an expired passport, you must fill out an application and send it to the authorities that issue passports in the country that you're applying for. In most countries, you'll need to pay for the renewal of your passport.
Yes, both a valid and expired passport can be used for a 1-9 form.
A passport expiration date tells you the date your passport is no longer valid. Once your passport runs out of date, you cannot use it as valid identification. During the time of validity, you can use your passport as a form of identification for travel.
Yes, an expired passport is proof of citizenship and most countries will recognise a passport as proof of citizenship, even if it has expired. In most cases, you'll need to show your old passport as a form of identification in order to renew your passport.
Whether an expired passport can be used as valid ID depends on which country the passport is from and what the purpose is.
For example, an expired passport cannot be used as valid ID if a proof is age is required. This includes using it for things such as buying alcohol or gambling.
On the other hand, an expired passport is a valid ID for proving citizenship.
Take a look at our table below which shows how many years after the date issue that the passport expires for each country.
Algeria10 years |
Beninese6 years |
Egypt7 years |
Eritrean5 years |
Ethiopia5 years |
Ghana10 years |
Kenya10 years |
Libya10 years |
Morocco5 years |
Namibia5 years |
Senegal5 years |
South Africa10 years |
Sudan5 years |
Tanzania10 years |
Togolese5 years |
Tunisia5 years |
Uganda10 years |
Afghanistan5 years |
Armenia10 years |
Azerbaijan10 years |
Bahrain10 years |
Bangladesh10 years |
Brunei5 years |
Cambodia10 years |
China10 years |
Cyprus10 years |
Hong Kong10 years |
India10 years |
Indonesia5 years |
Iran5 years |
Iraq8 years |
Israel5 or 10 years |
Japan5 or 10 years |
Kazakhstan10 years |
Kuiwait5 or 10 years |
Laos10 years |
Lebanon5 or 10 years |
Macao10 years |
Malaysia5 years |
Maldives5 years |
Nepal10 years |
Pakistan5 or 10 years |
The Philippines10 years |
Saudi Arabia10 years |
Singapore5 years |
South Korea10 years |
Sri Lanka10 years |
Taiwan5 or 10 years |
Tunisia5 years |
Thailand5 years |
Turkey10 years |
Vietnam10 years |
Yemeni6 years |
Anguilla10 years |
Antigua & Barbuda10 years |
Barbados10 years |
Canada5 or 10 years |
Cayman Islands10 years |
Costa Rica6 years |
Cuba6 years |
Dominican Republic6 or 10 years |
Grenada5 years |
Jamaica5 or 10 years |
Mexico1 3, 6 or 10 years |
Panama5 years |
St.Kitts and Nevis10 years |
Trinidad & Tobago10 years |
USA10 years |
Albania10 years |
Andorra10 years |
Austria10 years |
Belarus10 years |
Belgium10 years |
Bulgaria5 or 10 years |
Croatia6 or 10 years |
Czech Republic10 years |
Cyprus10 years |
Denmark10 years |
Estonia10 years |
Finland5 years |
France5 years |
Germany10 years |
Greece5 years |
Guernsey10 years |
Hungary10 years |
Iceland10 years |
Ireland10 years |
Italy10 years |
Latvia10 years |
Liechenstein10 years |
Lithuania10 years |
Luxembourg5 years |
Malta10 years |
Moldova10 years |
Netherlands10 years |
North Macedonia10 years |
Norway10 years |
Poland10 years |
Portugal5 years |
Romania10 years |
Russia10 years |
Serbia10 years |
Slovakia10 years |
Spain10 years |
Switzerland10 years |
Ukraine10 years |
Australia10 years |
New Zealand10 years |
Papua New Guinea5 years |
Tonga10 years |
Tuvaluan5 years |
Argentina10 years |
Brazil10 years |
Chile5 years |
Colombia10 years |
Ecuador6 years |
Costa Rica6 years |
Guyana5 years |
Peru2 or 5 years |
Uruguay10 years |
Venezuela5 years |
If you have questions about passport expiry rules, you might also be interested in our following guides:
Mobile passport control - what is it and how can I use my mobile passport?