I need to check my passport expiration date.

by Bernadette
(Lakewood, WA, USA)

Question: I'm afraid my passport will expire at the end of this month. I'm not sure. My passport is at my home in Knox, IN but I'm at my other home in Lakewood, WA. I have my first passport issued about 20 years ago. I renewed this passport before it expired, and I was to renew the other one before that expires too. However, I don't know when its expiration date is. If it is not till May, I will still have time. If it is already expired, then I'll have to get a new one.

Can you find out my current expiration date? I would give you my old passport # or whatever information if this were a secure site. Or can we do this by phone?

Answer: There are only two ways to discover the expiration date of a passport. One, look on the data page of the passport itself. Two, request a passport record from the U.S. Department of State. There is a $50 fee for this service and it could take several weeks.

It is possible to renew a passport even after it expires. Passports that are issued to adults and are not damaged can be renewed up to 15 years after their issuance date. Even if it expires this month, you can renew it later. The only problem with this is that you cannot travel with an expired passport.

Another option if you cannot get your passport and feel the need to renew it now is to apply for a new passport using form DS-11. This is the option for those who are either applying for a first-time passport or are unable to submit their most recently-issued passport with the application.