Passport Validity Checker
Enter your destination and your passport’s expiry date and we’ll tell you whether it clears that country’s validity rule — with your days of margin and the date you should renew by.
How this tool works
Passport rules are set by the country you’re flying to, not by the country that issued your passport — and airlines enforce them at check-in, because they’re fined if they carry someone who is refused entry. That’s why a valid, unexpired passport can still get you turned away at the gate.
- The validity rule. Most destinations demand a buffer of validity beyond your travel dates: commonly 6 months (much of Asia, the Middle East, parts of Africa and Latin America) or 3 months (the Schengen area). Some — Canada, Mexico, Japan, the UK, Australia — only require the passport to be valid for the trip itself.
- The reference date matters. A “6 months beyond entry” rule is measured from the day you arrive. A “3 months beyond departure” rule is measured from the day you leave the country or region. We store which one each destination uses, and we say plainly which we applied.
- We measure in days, not months. Some rules aren’t expressed in months at all — South Africa asks for 30 days beyond your exit — so internally we add calendar months or exact days to your trip start date, then count the days between that date and your expiry. That signed number is your margin.
- Blank pages are a separate failure mode. Several countries require one or two consecutive empty visa pages for their entry stamp; amendment and endorsement pages usually don’t count. Passing the validity rule with a full passport still gets you refused.
- The Schengen 10-year rule. 17 European destinations in our data also require that the passport was issued within the previous 10 years. This catches older US passports that were issued as 10-year books but had extra validity added. We can’t verify your issue date from an expiry alone, so we flag it as a check rather than a pass.
The assumption we make. We only ask for your trip start date. For rules measured from your exit, we apply the requirement from your trip start — which is the strict-enough reading for a short trip but not for a long one. When the destination publishes a visa-free stay limit, we also test the worst case (you stay the whole allowance) and warn you if that would break the rule.
This is guidance, not authorization. Entry requirements change without notice and border officers have discretion. Every row below cites the State Department country page it came from and the date we read it. Confirm with the destination’s embassy or consulate and travel.state.gov before you fly.
Passport validity and blank-page rules by destination (56 countries)
| Destination | Validity required | Measured from | Blank pages | Visa-free stay (US passport) | Issued within 10 years? | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | 180 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| Mexico | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | 180 days | Not required | High |
| United Kingdom | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 1 page | 180 days | Not required | High |
| Ireland | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| France | 3 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Italy | 3 months | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Spain | 3 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Germany | 3 months | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Netherlands | 3 months | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Portugal | 3 months | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Greece | 3 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Switzerland | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | Medium — see note |
| Austria | 3 months | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Belgium | 3 months | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Czechia | 3 months | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Poland | 3 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Croatia | 3 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Iceland | 3 months | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Norway | 3 months | Date of entry | 2 pages | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | High |
| Sweden | 3 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | Medium — see note |
| Denmark | 3 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 90 days | Yes — Schengen rule | Medium — see note |
| Japan | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| South Korea | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| China | 6 months | Date of entry | 2 pages | Check requirements | Not required | High |
| Thailand | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 60 days | Not required | High |
| Vietnam | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | Check requirements | Not required | High |
| Singapore | 6 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Indonesia | 6 months | Date of entry | 2 pages | 30 days | Not required | High |
| Philippines | 6 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 30 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| Malaysia | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| India | 6 months | Date of entry | 2 pages | 60 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| United Arab Emirates | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 30 days | Not required | High |
| Israel | 3 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Turkey | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Egypt | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 30 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| Morocco | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| South Africa | 30 days | Date you leave | 2 pages | 90 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| Kenya | 6 months | Date of entry | 2 pages | Check requirements | Not required | High |
| Australia | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| New Zealand | 3 months | Date you leave | 1 page | Check requirements | Not required | High |
| Fiji | 6 months | Date you leave | 1 page | 120 days | Not required | High |
| Brazil | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | Check requirements | Not required | High |
| Argentina | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Chile | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Peru | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Colombia | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Costa Rica | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 1 page | 180 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| Panama | 3 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 180 days | Not required | High |
| Dominican Republic | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 30 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| Jamaica | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| Bahamas | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 2 pages | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Aruba | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 1 page | 30 days | Not required | High |
| Bermuda | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
| Belize | Valid for the trip only | Whole stay | 1 page | 30 days | Not required | High |
| Guatemala | Valid for the trip only | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | Medium — see note |
| Ecuador | 6 months | Date of entry | 1 page | 90 days | Not required | High |
FAQ
Does my passport need to be valid for 6 months?
It depends entirely on where you’re going. Roughly half the destinations in our data require six months of validity beyond your date of entry — including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Turkey, the UAE, Egypt and Kenya. Canada, Mexico, Japan, the UK, Ireland and Australia require only that your passport is valid for the trip. The Schengen countries sit in the middle at three months beyond your departure from the area.
What is the six-month passport rule?
It’s a requirement that your passport remain valid for at least six months after the day you arrive (occasionally after the day you leave). It exists so that if you’re delayed, detained or have to extend your stay, you still hold a valid travel document. Airlines enforce it at check-in, so you can be denied boarding on a passport that hasn’t technically expired.
How many blank pages do I need?
Most countries in our data want at least one blank page; several — Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Portugal, Iceland, Norway, China, Indonesia, India, Kenya, the Bahamas and South Africa — want two. South Africa specifically requires two consecutive blank visa pages per entry, and endorsement or amendment pages don’t count toward the total.
When should I renew my passport before a trip?
The practical answer is nine to twelve months before it expires, and immediately if a trip you’ve already booked falls inside a six-month rule. Work backwards: take your expiry date, subtract the destination’s requirement, and that’s the last day your current passport still works for entry. Then subtract processing time on top.
Which countries require 6 months validity?
In our data: China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Fiji, Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Switzerland. The full table below shows every destination with its rule, its reference date and the source it came from.
How long does passport renewal take?
U.S. routine processing has run several weeks to a couple of months depending on the backlog, with expedited service meaningfully faster for an extra fee, and urgent appointments available if you have proof of imminent travel. Check the current published times on travel.state.gov before you assume — they move a lot, and mail transit adds time at both ends.
Is a passport that expires during my trip ever acceptable?
Almost never, and airlines will usually refuse to board you. Even the most relaxed destinations require the passport to remain valid through your entire stay, and you also need it valid to be admitted back into your home country. Treat an expiry inside your travel dates as a hard stop.