Passport renewal can take two to three months

Many people are scrambling to renew their passports as we come out of COVID protocol and people set their sights on traveling the world again. Visiting the U.S. Dept. of State’s website today it shows that it takes an average of 8-11 weeks for routine passport renewal and 5-7 weeks if you pay an expedited fee. My friend, Ted Child, recently sent his passport in via express mail and paid the expedited fee, and amazingly received his new passport in 23 days. CLICK HERE to read how to process your passport renewal.

Several countries require that your passport be valid at least 6 months beyond your date of travel while most of Europe only requires 3 months validity – Some travelers who are traveling internationally are shocked when they find out that several Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia along with South American countries Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil and countries in the Middle East require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip. Many airlines will enforce this rule and not let you board the airplane if your passport does not meet these requirements. Almost all of Europe and much of Scandinavia commonly use the three-month passport validity rule. Your best bet is to always check the requirements before each trip. CLICK HERE to find out the requirements for each country.

Did you know you can have two passports? – In certain cases where an individual travels so frequently that a traveler needs one passport for travel and another for simultaneous foreign visa applications a traveler can request to have a second passport. These second passports are valid for only four years vs. ten years for a normal passport.  CLICK HERE to find out more about securing a second passport.

A passport or visa service can get your passport renewed in as little as one day – I often receive calls from people panicking as they are putting the finishing touches on getting ready for their trip only to look at their passport and find that it has expired or is within the 6 month validity period. For years we have been working with www.CIBTvisas.com to help with expedited passports and visas. They can renew your passport in as little as one day but the cost can climb into the hundreds of dollars. They also can help with lost, stolen, or damaged passports. I am heading to China in April and I will also use them for my China visa. CLICK HERE to read more about CIBTvisa services.

Don’t forget that some countries still have COVID restrictions – It seems like most Americans have put COVID restrictions in the rearview mirror. That is not the case for all countries as some still require masking and vaccinations and quarantines. Only days ago China finally dropped a 14-day quarantine requirement for visitors. CLICK HERE to find a great COVID-19 travel regulation map updated by IATA that allows you to check the COVID requirements for the countries you are visiting.

Here are two more important items to consider when traveling internationally after your passport, visa, and COVID boxes are all checked – Please don’t forget to purchase international travel insurance if you travel internationally. Most health insurance plans won’t cover you when outside the U.S. Also if you are traveling in some third-world countries you may want to get vaccinated for yellow fever, Hepatitis, etc. Also, don’t forget pills for malaria in countries with mosquitos. The University of Nebraska has a great Travel Health department that you can access by CLICKING HERE.