What is the law regarding travel within 6 months of the expiration of a passport?
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What is the law regarding travel within 6 months of the expiration of a passport?
I am going to India in about a week and I have a few concerns over my travel. I’d appreciate if you could provide some information about the rules and laws and provide me the reference where the information could be found. My first concern is that my Indian passport expires on the 26th of next month. I am returning back from India on the 10th. I was recently informed about a 6 month rule that says that the officials at India would not allow me to travel back to the USon 10th because my passport expires before 6 months. Is that true?
Asked on November 12, 2011 under Immigration Law, Indiana
Answers:
MD, Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
It appears for both passport issues and visa stamping it may be a problem if your passport expires earlier than 6 months of travel. The best move at this point since you have a couple of weeks left is to contact your nearest Indian Embassy or try the one in Washington, D.C. If you do not get an immediate response or an official follow-up within one day, contact the State Department and find out if you can get information from the bureau handling India issues. It seems from what I have seen that it may not be advisable to travel so close to your expiration date. Documentation from the consular general or equivalent in India seems to indicate they can unilaterally condition your passport if they wish to do so.
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