Don’t let this passport quirk upend your next vacation. It 'trips a lot of people up,' expert says

cnbc.com:

Passport processing times are back to normal after big delays in 2023, making it less likely travelers will miss a trip because of a stalled renewal.

However, another common passport snafu threatens to upend your trip overseas — and it involves passports that haven't yet expired but are close to doing so.

Many countries require that Americans have at least a few months of validity remaining on their U.S. passport in order to travel there, or to secure a visa to that country.

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For example, the Schengen Area, which encompasses 27 European nations, requires a U.S. passport be valid for at least 90 days beyond the end of your trip (i.e., your return date), according to the State Department.

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions require at least six months of validity for permission to enter. Other areas like Hong Kong require one month.

What this means: Gatekeepers like border officials will deny travel if your passport doesn't have a certain amount of validity remaining. Some airlines won't even let you board the flight. In these cases, your nonexpired passport would cost you a vacation.

The requirement «trips a lot of people up,» said Charles Leocha, president and co-founder of Travelers United, a nonprofit advocacy group.  

Here's the reason for the rule: When traveling to Europe, for example, a valid U.S. passport allows tourists to stay for up to 90 days without a visa. Border officials «often assume you will stay the maximum 90 days, even if this is not your intention,» according to the State