Hard Lesson Learned - Check Your Passport Expiration Date

[tkring]

Divers,

We learned a very hard lesson this weekend. Check your passport expiration date when you booked your trip!!! We were scheduled to be in Roatan yesterday (Saturday) but got turned away at the airport due to expired passports.

Please don't bash us ~ we are doing this enough to ourselves. I am simply writing to let everyone be aware that passports DO expire and to check the dates.

Hopefully, this warning will keep someone from having this happen to them.

From Shame of us,

Terri

 

[El Orans]

That's a major bummer.

 

[shep]

Here's a quote from the state department website....

"Some countries require that your U.S. passport be valid at least 6 months or longer beyond the dates of your trip. If your passport expires before the required validity, you will have to apply for a new one. Please check with the Embassy or nearest Consulate of the country that you plan to visit for their requirements."

So even if your passport has not expired, if you're within 6 months of expiration, you could have problems!

 

[markfm]

Very good point -- that 6 months is real, people do get turned away, even if they are only going on a 1 week vacation.

 

[scubapolly]

Along similar lines it is important to note, that starting this year, many countires which US citizens did not need a passport to enter, now require one. Basically you need a passport to go anywhere, the old birth certificate and driver's licence no longer works.

Terri- I've heard several similar stories, so if it helps, at least you're not alone.

 

[tkring]

This is the first passport that we have ever been issued and just never thought about checking the date. It just seems to have always been with us. Bad habit to have gotten into to. I can tell you it won't happen again.

 

[wardric]

Dont forget about the delays too.
It requires 2 (in person) to 5 (by mail) weeks to get a passport in Canada. Dont know about the US though. This if everything is in order. Also, the old baptism act is not accepted now, you need the new birth certificate to get a passport. This certificate takes 4 weeks to get. Those are local info but there may be some other procedures in other places so the idea is to do the request asap and check all the requirements.

Sorry for your missed trip TKRING.

 

[Kat]

tkring,
I am so sorry you were denied boarding. I hope you will be able to change the dates of your trip & travel on another date.

I see this happens all the time. So it is in no way unusual or out of the norm.

I am not familiar with Honduras, but for Mexico, Jamaica & Caymen an affidavit can be obtained in the airport. There is a small fee involved ( $20 or $25 each ) and it can save your vacation. You will usually need to ask about it, as most ticket agents will not volunteer this info. And even then you have to be very firm that you know it will be accepted & that you want one issued to you. The main problem is not every airline has affidavits. It is usually just a few airlines & everyone goes to them to get the document. Still, it is worth a try.

It was nice of you to come here & share your horrible experience. I am sure it sent many SB members racing off to check the passport expiraton dates.

 

[Cacia]

tkring, I am sorry this happened to you. I am one of those people that deals with these things, after I have done my best by reminding myself sometimes there is a master plan and the universe needs you to be somewhere else....

BUT, the affidavit bit is great! (I found out recently you can pay a fee and get a passport expedited in a day or two.) Don't bash yourselves! I am one of those people that sleeps through connections at the airport and shows up a day late because of the date line. Let us know the outcome of changing the dates.

Another quirky thing, folks. If you are divorced, your x now needs a document from you to take their own child across many borders. My x (and best friend) was recently almost denied entry on a ski trip into Canada (from Hawaii) with our daughter. The funny part is that this other man (a parent of my daughter's friend) had no problems taking her into about six countries over the summer without any paperwork. Go figure.

 

[Kat]

Another quirky thing, folks. If you are divorced, your x now needs a document from you to take their own child across many borders. My x (and best friend) was recently almost denied entry on a ski trip into Canada (from Hawaii) with our daughter. The funny part is that this other man (a parent of my daughter's friend) had no problems taking her into about six countries over the summer without any paperwork. Go figure.

Letter of Consent: (with the notary seal)
Every country is different, with what they require. And citizenship requirements change constantly. Mexico used to require a letter of consent from the absent parent. Or a death certificate. Many people would just say their ex was dead, hoping that would work. As soon as we told them we needed a death certificate, those dead ex's were magically resurrected. lol

Here are some other problems that can occur:

• 
  Women who have had multiple marriages/names may need to bring all of their marriage documents with. Even if you have a passport, it might have an old name on it, that you no longer use. You also might need to match the married names to the children who have different last names.

• 
  Family is traveling with passports, but mother uses her maiden name. Bring the childs passport AND birth certificate to prove you are the mother. If the last names don't match on the passports, there is no way to confirm you are really the childs mother, with out the childs birth certificate.

• Traveling with a minor who is not your child. Or unaccompanied minor traveling. (springbreak) You should have their birth certificate & passport and a letter of consent from both parents. You'll need the birth certificate to prove the letter of consent is accurate.

It is best to do your homework on what paperwork you'll need to have, to enter another country. And don't wait until the last minute to look into what you will need. Start early, so you'll have time to obtain visas, or whatever you may need.