The 1 Big Mistake You Should Never, Ever Make With Your Passport
HuffPost
Experts weigh in on a common misconception about international travel.
A couple of years ago, I was invited to attend a friend’s July wedding in his wife’s hometown in northern Italy. As the date approached, I remarked to another friend who was also planning to travel from the U.S. for the celebration that I was glad I had just renewed my passport since it was due to expire in May. She responded cheerfully that she was all set because her passport wouldn’t expire until September.
She was mistaken. My friend was not all set because Italy, as part of the Schengen Area of European countries, requires visitors to have a passport that is valid for at least three months beyond the date they intend to depart.
Fortunately, she was able to expedite her passport renewal and make it to the wedding, but her situation highlighted a fairly common misconception about international travel.
Having A Current Passport Isn’t Always Enough
“A lot of us just think we need a valid passport to travel the world beyond our borders, but what many people don’t realize [is] that a current passport alone might not be enough,” said Katy Nastro, a spokesperson for the flight alert service Going.
