People travel for different reasons. There’s business travel vs. vacation travel vs. travel to see family, of course.
Folks may also use a variety of deciding factors in determining where they decide to visit. Case in point, Joe and I usually travel to places because we actively want to visit them. If you’ve been reading our stuff for a while, you’ve undoubtedly seen our posts about our visits to Schlitterbahn, NYC, Austria and Germany, Key West, etc. – those were all places we wanted to see.
When Covid originally hit, our priorities for travel changed. We went to Helen, Georgia, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and a couple of beaches in Florida because they offered lots of outdoor activities and we saw them as being “safer” than crowded, indoor locales. And heck, Iceland was never even on our radar! But in the summer of 2021, when we were still bummed about having to cancel our Japan trip for the second time, they were willing to allow vaccinated Americans to visit. So we did, “just because we could” (it turned out we loved Iceland and now want to drive the Diamond Circle, on the northern side of the country).
Other people are less picky than us (not saying that’s good or bad; it just “is”) and may travel because of an airline sale. If they can score a $29 flight to Cancun or a $79 flight to Europe, they’re there! Or maybe their work determines when and for how long they can travel, which may play a role in where they go.
And then there are the people who want to travel internationally but realize they may be limited because of how much time is left before their passport expires (again, no judgements – sometimes people forget). Most countries require your passport to have at least 6 months left on them, but these countries allow you to enter with less time than that.
OK, but what if you only have 3 months left on your passport? Or worse, 2? How about less than that? Your options obviously start to become more limited with the less time left on your passport, but there are still some places you can go. Heads up that many of the ones that allow you to have just 3 months specifically require you to have at least 3 months after your time of departure, so count your days ;-).
3 Months
Armenia
Passport must be valid at time of entry and departure. However keep in mind that if your flight(s) have a stopover in any of the Schengen countries, your passport will then need to be valid for at least 3 months past your departure date.
The Bahamas
Your passport must be valid at time of entry. Two pages are required for entry stamp.
Barbados
Passport must be valid at time of entry. Must have one blank page for entry stamp.
Canada
Passport must be valid at time of entry. If you’re transiting Canada en route to Europe, your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area. Must have one blank page.
Croatia
Passport must be valid for three months after the planned date of departure. One page is required for an entry stamp.
Ireland
Passport must be valid for the duration of your stay in Ireland and must have at least one page.
Mexico
Passport must be valid at time of entry. Must have one blank page per stamp.
The Schengen Region
Officially, you’re only supposed to need 3 months to enter the 26 Schengen Countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland). However, the rules for each country vary in terms of passport requirements.
- Belgium – Passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area and must have 2 pages minimum.
- Estonia – Passport should be valid for at least three months beyond your stay, with 1 page per entry stamp.
- France – Passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area and must have at least one blank page for stamps.
- Germany – Passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area and must have 2 pages.
- Hungary – Passport required to have three months validity beyond planned departure date from the Schengen area (although six months validity is recommended) and must have 1 page per stamp.
- Iceland – Three months required, six months recommended beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area, and two pages required for entry stamp.
- Italy – Six months validity recommended. At least 3 months validity beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area and two pages required for entry stamp.
- Malta – Passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area and must have one page for entry stamp.
- Netherlands – A passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the planned date of departure from the Schengen area. Two pages required for entry stamp.
- Poland – Six months remaining validity strongly recommended; at least three months remaining validity beyond planned departure from the Schengen area is required.
- Slovenia – Six months recommended; at least three months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen area. One page required for entry stamp.
- Spain – 6 months recommended, 3 months beyond your date of departure is required, and 1 page per stamp.
- Sweden – Passport must be valid at least three months beyond the period of stay, and have space for entry and exit stamps.
Seychelles
Passport must be valid for duration of stay and one blank page required.
United Kingdom
Passport must be valid for the duration of your stay in the United Kingdom (At least six months remaining validity is required for onward travel to many other countries). Must have one blank page.
2 Months or less
Armenia
Passport must be valid at time of entry and departure. However keep in mind that if your flight(s) have a stopover in any of the Schengen countries, your passport will then need to be valid for at least 3 months past your departure date.
The Bahamas
Your passport must be valid at time of entry. Two pages are required for entry stamp.
Barbados
Passport must be valid at time of entry. Must have one blank page for entry stamp.
Canada
Passport must be valid at time of entry. If you’re transiting Canada en route to Europe, your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area. Must have one blank page.
Ireland
Passport must be valid for the duration of your stay in Ireland and must have at least one page.
Mexico
Passport must be valid at time of entry. Must have one blank page per stamp.
The Seychelles
Passport must be valid for duration of stay and one blank page required.
United Kingdom
Passport must be valid for the duration of your stay in the United Kingdom (At least six months remaining validity is required for onward travel to many other countries). Must have one blank page.
Check the State Department’s website for more specifics.
Feature Photo: pxfuel
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