Passport going out of date

Hi

My passport is due to expire next August and I'm just wondering when I go to the States in January/February will it still be acceptable to enter the country or will they send me home on the next plane?

Also, can someone let me know if it is possible to keep your old passport when you apply for your new one? I've loads of stamps in mine, call me sentimental but I'd like to hold onto it if possible.

Many thanks

Mrs Mac said:

My passport is due to expire next August and I'm just wondering when I go to the States in January/February will it still be acceptable to enter the country or will they send me home on the next plane?

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6 months validity is presumably more than enough. Your passport must be machine readable though.

Also, can someone let me know if it is possible to keep your old passport when you apply for your new one? I've loads of stamps in mine, call me sentimental but I'd like to hold onto it if possible.

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Last time I renewed I got the old one back with the corners cut off and maybe something stamped in it about being cancelled. Not sure if they still do this?

Hi Mrs Mac,
You send the old passport off with your new application and they return your old passport to you. I got mine back recently. It came in the envelope with the new passport. Old passport is stamped "Cancelled".

Jen.

as far a i can recall your passport needs to be valid for 90 days either side of travel so you'll be fine.

Apparently it used to be the case that it had to be 6 months validity, but this is no longer the case as Ireland now qualifies under some US rule that has been extended to us. This was the subject of a bet in work recently..and I lost!

Biggest problem here is that it must be machine readable and passports issued as recently as 2003 are not so definetly need to renew it before going to States. Other than that it only has to be valid for the length of your stay in the States.

agapanthus said:

Biggest problem here is that it must be machine readable and passports issued as recently as 2003 are not so definetly need to renew it before going to States. Other than that it only has to be valid for the length of your stay in the States.

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Almost all currently valid passports are machine readable.

The ONLY ones that aren't are those with the details hand written: typically this is due to them being issued at short notice due to loss of an existing passport.

If the details page is printed rather than hand written it is machine readable.

Not so. I recently had to obtain replacement passports for my wife and myself for the purposes of a trip to the US. Our old (2002 and 2003) passports had typewritten details but were not machine-readable.

You need to find out from the American Embassy the current rules on passports. Do not rely on travel agents or the Dept of Foreign Affairs. In relation to getting into the US it is the American rules that will apply.

There have been many changes in the last few years, I know as my husband has had to change his passort about 3 times to comply with each new rule. (from handwritten, to typed, to machine readable etc)

From www.citizensinformation.ie:

"Since 26 June 2005 the United States has commenced the requirement that all Irish passport holders must carry a machine-readable passport when travelling to the US. Ireland is one of 27 countries where passport holders may enter the US without a visa for travel or business purposes for a maximum period of 90 days.
If you don't hold a machine-readable Irish passport therefore, you must obtain a visa in order to enter the US.
The majority of Irish passports issued by the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and the Irish Embassy in London, (representing over 90% of all passports in circulation), are machine-readable and holders of such passports are therefore not affected by the new U.S. requirements.
What is a machine-readable passport?

A machine-readable passport is a passport with two typeface lines printed at the bottom of the biographical page, which can be read by machine. Look at the bottom of your Irish passport [the photo page] for two lines that are typeface lines. These lines have letters, numbers and hatch marks." The two lines at the bottom of a machine-readable passport, for example, would look like the following:
LINE 1: P COUNTRY LAST NAME << FIRST NAME < MIDDLE NAME <<<<<
LINE 2: PASSPORT NUMBER COUNTRY DOB<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
When read, these lines electronically provide identical information to that provided on the biographical page. (The biographical page is the page on your passport that illustrates your photograph and carries information about your name, date of birth, address, nationality, etc.)."

This is great - many thanks for the info.

Looks like mine will be ok for the states so

Almost all currently valid passports are machine readable.


Not true at all. If the passport was handwritten it is not machine readable. Passports issued by Irish Embassies abroad are often handwritten as are Emergency passports and are therefore not machine readable. And yes they give you back your old one...

The 2003 passport I was referring to previously looks almost identical to my own which is machine readable, its printed, has the lines of typing along the bottom but the person who owns it was recently travelling from canada to denver and was advised at US immigration that it would have to be changed. However they did leave him travel, doubt if you would get same response from US immigration in Shannon. When he recently booked trip home for Christmas flying via New York, travel agent again advised him to be sure and have it changed as he would be allowed out by immigration but wouldnt get back. The only difference I can see is that there are letter/numbers punched through the pages and cover on my newer one that are not on his?