Passport validity checker
A passport that is still valid on the day you fly is not always enough. Many countries refuse entry — and airlines refuse boarding — unless it stays valid for months after you arrive. This checks your dates against the rule for your destination.
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Enter your dates to check.
How the six-month rule works
The rule is simple in intent and messy in detail. A country wants to be sure that if you overstay, get ill or get stuck, you still hold a document that lets you leave. So it requires your passport to remain valid for a buffer — usually six months — measured from either your arrival or your planned departure. Some countries measure from arrival, some from departure, some only ask that it be valid for the stay, and the Schengen area adds a second test: the passport must have been issued within the last ten years.
Two things catch people. First, the airline enforces this at check-in, using the same IATA database border officers use, so a valid-but-too-close passport ends the trip at the departure gate, not on arrival. Second, the rule applies at the moment of the check: a passport that clears six months today may not clear it for the return leg of a long trip, or for a second country on the same itinerary.
Rules by destination
As commonly published by government travel advisories (the UK's FCDO entry requirements, the US State Department's country pages) and applied by airlines via IATA Timatic. Checked 2026-09-14. They change, they can differ by your nationality, and the destination's own embassy is the only authority — treat this as the question to ask, not the final answer.
| Destination | Passport must be | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Indonesia (Bali) | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Vietnam | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Malaysia | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Singapore | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Philippines | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Cambodia | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| China | 6 months beyond arrival | Visa validity rules also apply |
| India | 6 months beyond arrival | For e-Visa: 6 months at arrival, 2 blank pages |
| Sri Lanka | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| United Arab Emirates | 6 months beyond arrival | Some nationalities: 3 months |
| Saudi Arabia | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Qatar | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Israel | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Egypt | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Kenya | 6 months beyond arrival | eTA required |
| Tanzania | 6 months beyond arrival | — |
| Brazil | Valid for the length of your stay | Must be valid on entry; 6 months recommended |
| Mexico | Valid for the length of your stay | Must be valid on entry |
| United States | Valid for the length of your stay | Many nationalities exempt from the 6-month rule; ESTA/visa validity applies |
| Canada | Valid for the length of your stay | eTA or visa validity applies |
| United Kingdom | Valid for the length of your stay | ETA required for many visitors |
| Schengen area (EU/EEA) | 3 months beyond departure | Passport must also be under 10 years old on entry |
| Turkey | 6 months beyond arrival | Officially 150 days; airlines commonly apply 6 months |
| Australia | Valid for the length of your stay | 6 months strongly recommended; visa/ETA validity applies |
| New Zealand | 3 months beyond departure | NZeTA required for visa-waiver visitors |
| Japan | Valid for the length of your stay | Must be valid for the whole stay |
| South Korea | Valid for the length of your stay | K-ETA where applicable |
| Hong Kong | 1 month beyond departure | — |
| South Africa | Valid for the length of your stay | 30 days beyond departure plus blank pages is the common airline check |
What to do if you are close
Renewal times vary enormously by country and by season — a few days with a premium service in some places, ten to twelve weeks in others at peak times. If the checker above says you are inside the buffer, or within a month of it, start the renewal now rather than after booking. A passport that is valid but nearly expired is also the single most common reason a document-expiry reminder pays for itself, which is why RenewKeep defaults to warning you 90 days out for anything filed under Travel or Identity.
Before travelling, also check the visa or travel-authorisation validity separately — an ESTA, eTA, K-ETA or e-Visa has its own expiry and its own rules, and it is usually tied to the passport number, so a new passport means a new authorisation.