How many months do I need on my passport to travel?

If your passport only has six months of validity left, is over ten years old, or doesn't have at least two blank pages left, the chances are you'll need to renew it before your next trip abroad. While every country has its own set of rules regarding passport validity, many require travellers to have anywhere between three to six months of validity left as a prerequisite for entry. For most EU countries, there's an additional rule — your passport will need to be less than ten years old. Some countries will also require blank pages for entry and exit stamps. Here's what you need to know.
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• Spain: passport must be less than ten years old when you enter the country and valid for at least three months after the day you leave
• Greece: passport must be less than ten years old when you enter the country and valid for at least three months after the day you leave
• France: passport must be less than ten years old when you enter the country and valid for at least three months after the day you leave
• Italy: passport must be less than ten years old when you enter the country and valid for at least three months after the day you leave
• US: passport must be valid for the duration of your stay
• Anguilla: passport must be valid for duration of stay
• Argentina: passport must be valid for duration of stay
• Australia: passport must be valid for duration of stay, but also check for validity requirements for any transit stops
• Barbados: passport must be valid for duration of stay
• Canada: passport must be valid for duration of stay
• Chile: passport must have an expiry date after the day you plan to leave
• Dominican Republic: passport must be valid for duration of stay until November 30, 2025, after which this may change
• Maldives: passport must be valid for at least one month after the day you arrive
• Mexico: passport must be valid for duration of stay; the Mexican Embassy in the UK recommends passports be valid for at least 180 days because this is the longest you can stay as a tourist
• Seychelles: passport must be valid for duration of stay
• St Lucia: passport must have an expiry date after the day you plan to leave
• Tunisia: passport must be valid for duration of stay
• Belize: passport must be valid for three months after the day you arrive, though some airlines will ask for six months
• EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden): passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave, and less than ten years old
• Iceland: passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave, and less than ten years old
• Morocco: passport must be valid for three months after the day you arrive
• New Zealand: passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave
• Norway: passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave, and less than ten years old
• Switzerland: passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave, and less than ten years old
• Antigua and Barbuda: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Bahamas: passport must be valid for six months after the day you plan to leave
• Brazil: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Cuba: passport must be valid for six months after you arrive and three months after the day you plan to leave
• Colombia: passport must be valid on arrival but validity of six months after the day you plan to leave is recommended
• Grenada: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Jordan: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Malaysia: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Peru: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Qatar: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Singapore: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Sri Lanka: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• Taiwan: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
• UAE: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive
Some countries require full blank pages for visas on arrival as well as entry and exit stamps. In some cases, these blank pages need to be consecutive. Double-check with the embassy before you travel.
• Bermuda: passport must be valid for duration of stay, with space for entry and exit stamps
• Bolivia: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive, plus two blank pages
• China: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive, plus two blank pages for visa and entry and exit stamps
• Egypt: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive, plus one blank page
• India: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive, plus two blank pages
• Indonesia: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive, plus two blank pages
• Japan: passport must be valid for duration of stay, plus one blank page for visa stamp
• Jamaica: passport must be valid for duration of stay, plus two blank pages for entry and exit stamps
• Kenya: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive, plus two blank pages
• Mauritius: passport must be valid for duration of stay, plus a blank page
• Namibia: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive, plus three blank pages
• Rwanda: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive, plus one blank page
• Thailand: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive plus one blank page
• Turkey: passport must be valid for 150 days after the day you arrive, plus one blank page
• South Africa: passport must be valid for 30 days after the day you leave, plus two blank pages
• Vietnam: passport must be valid for six months after the day you arrive plus two blank pages
The Foreign Office has a full list of entry requirements for different countries, including passport validity. It assumes you are travelling on a full, standard British passport. If you have a passport issued from a British Overseas Territory, the entry requirements may be different for some destinations. You should also double-check details with the embassy of the country you're visiting as passport validity requirements can and do change.
The UK government requires visitors from other countries to have a passport (or other valid ID if from EU countries, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein) that is valid for the duration of their stay. No additional validity is required.
You can apply for a new passport online via the government website. It costs passport £94.50 for a standard adult passport (valid for ten years), or £61.50 for a child under 16 (valid for five years), and you'll need a credit or debit card for this. Alternatively, you can apply for one through the post; the forms for postal applications are available through the Post Office and it costs £107 for an adult or £74 for a child.
You'll need to send in certain documents, usually including a birth certificate if it's your first passport, or your previous passport if you're renewing. The requirements vary according to your circumstances but the application form will tell you what you need.
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