Pre Cancel Stamp
Your US Passport: a 4-Point Pre-Trip Checklist
Last-minute passport problems are never fun. Best-case scenario, you spend precious time scrambling to get your US passport renewed or replaced when you should be packing or planning activities. Worst-case scenario, you have to cancel or re-reschedule your trip, which usually means a pretty serious hit for both your ego and your wallet.
Avoid both of these scenarios with this handy 4-point pre-trip checklist for your US passport:
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Name: Check the name on your passport and make sure it matches the name you currently use. If you’ve gotten married, divorced or changed your name for any other reason since your passport was issued, you’ll need to update it. Apply for a passport name change if your passport was issued less than one year ago or a passport renewal if it’s been more than one year. Since most of us only use our passports for international travel, it’s easy to see how it could slip through the cracks after a name change.
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Expiration Date: Next, take a look at the expiration date. Here’s the tricky part: even if your passport is technically still valid, you may not be allowed entry at your destination if it expires in the next 6 months. So, if it expires within that time period, it’s best to renew it anyway. The good news is that most people are eligible for US passport renewal by mail.
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Emergency Contact Information: This doesn’t really affect whether or not you’ll get to go on your trip, but it is important that the emergency contact page in your passport be filled out with complete, up-to-date information. Heaven forbid there’s an emergency that leaves you unable to speak for yourself, but if something like that should happen, that information will allow the Department of State to contact your family members.
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Pages: Make sure you have at least two or three blank pages in the back of your passport for entry and exit stamps. If you don’t have enough space in the back, you could be denied travel. Before you leave, add passport pages or renew your US passport as necessary.
Make sure to go through this checklist several weeks in advance of your trip. It takes six weeks to get a US passport application processed unless you request expedited processing. Even then, it takes about three weeks. Emergency US passport processing is available, but it requires a trip to a regional passport agency office or the services of a private expediting company.
About the Author
Alison Kroulek is a freelance writer and blogger with a focus on the travel industry.