Does passport need to be renewed before my trip?
by Joe
(Voorhees, NJ USA)
Question: My U.S. passport expires April of next year. I depart to Rome from Philadelphia at the end of October this year, stay for three days in Rome and then board a cruise ship for a 7-day cruise.
Our ports are in Turkey, Greece and Sicily. We return to Rome on November 6 and return to the U.S. the same day. Visas for Turkey are required and the cruise line takes care of those. Do I need to get a new passport before I depart?
I know that some countries require 6 months of validity on their passports. I have about 5 months (November this year to April next year).
Answer: Both
Italy and
Greece are party to the
Schengen Agreement. As such, U.S. citizens may enter these countries for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes without a visa. The passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay. As an autonomous region of Italy, Sicily has the same requirements.
Citizens of the United States are required to have a visa to enter
Turkey. Those visiting for tourism purposes may obtain a
Turkey Visa through the
e-Visa application system (if eligible), or at a Turkish Consulate. In order to get the visa, your passport must be valid at least 60 days longer than the expiry date of the requested visa. If you are arriving by cruise ship for a day trip to Turkey, you do not require a visa as long as you are not staying on shore overnight.
All the destinations you plan to visit require at least 3 months validity in your passport. Therefore, you do not need to renew it before the trip. Bon voyage!
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