A Paris, France temple

[Moliere]

A Paris, France temple

So I was reading through what to bring to check in for my flight and noticed that my airline says I need a passport valid for 6 months after my departure date. I know my passport is valid for a while longer but couldn't remember exactly when it expires. So I checked it and sure enough, it will expire 5 months and 28 days after I land in Paris. Apparently that's not a problem for EU countries but we plan on going to Switzerland, which requires 6 months of cushion on expiration date for passports. I have no idea if they'd check that closely when we are leaving France to enter Switzerland, but we'll cross the border multiple times. Apparently most of the time they let you in (based in my intensive research of travel message boards), especially if you have a return ticket already purchased, but man, I don't want to risk it.

Thankfully I live in a large city that has a Regional Passport Office. I've got an appointment early next week for MJ and I to renew our passports. MJ's is good as hers expires two weeks later than mine, but we'll renew it just in case. Looks like the turnaround time for renewal is generally 24 hours but can be same day. It's just a pain to do it in person and an extra $60.

If all goes well, we'll get our new passports 3-4 days before departing for France . Yeah, that would have sucked to have been turned away at the airport from boarding...


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[Bo Diddley]

We want to visit Switzerland soon. Probably on our trip to Germany in the next couple of years. I was thinking there weren't really passport checks at the borders there.

Edit: My brother was burned by this rule last year. He had a trip to Europe somewhere, and his 17 year old daughter was denied boarding at the airport because her passport was expiring within a couple of weeks after the return flight (tickets in hand). So he took her to Austria later for a few days to make it up to her.

[hostile]

We want to visit Switzerland soon. Probably on our trip to Germany in the next couple of years. I was thinking there weren't really passport checks at the borders there.

Only if you have an EU passport.

[Moliere]

We want to visit Switzerland soon. Probably on our trip to Germany in the next couple of years. I was thinking there weren't really passport checks at the borders there.

Edit: My brother was burned by this rule last year. He had a trip to Europe somewhere, and his 17 year old daughter was denied boarding at the airport because her passport was expiring within a couple of weeks after the return flight (tickets in hand). So he took her to Austria later for a few days to make it up to her.

Crossings between EU countries seem to be easier. Switzerland is throwing a loop in some stuff. It's not an issue but just requires more planning with trains, rents cars, passports and such.

It was also suggested to me by my rental car company to get an international drivers license, which is really just a translation of my current license into several different languages. In EU countries they don't suggest getting one, but since I'm driving in Switzerland as well they suggested it. Kind of lame, but it's $20 and a 30 minute wait at my local AAA shop so I'll do it.

I figure from now on I'll just renew my passport once there's just more than a year left on it, just to be safe.


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[creekster]

Crossings between EU countries seem to be easier. Switzerland is throwing a loop in some stuff. It's not an issue but just requires more planning with trains, rents cars, passports and such.

It was also suggested to me by my rental car company to get an international drivers license, which is really just a translation of my current license into several different languages. In EU countries they don't suggest getting one, but since I'm driving in Switzerland as well they suggested it. Kind of lame, but it's $20 and a 30 minute wait at my local AAA shop so I'll do it.

I figure from now on I'll just renew my passport once there's just more than a year left on it, just to be safe.


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The Swiss do tend to be functionaries. This includes their border control people. I think it is a good idea to get your passport renewed before trying the border crossings there. But I have rented a car in Switzerland several times without having an international license and never had a problem. YMMV.

[myboynoah]

So I was reading through what to bring to check in for my flight and noticed that my airline says I need a passport valid for 6 months after my departure date. I know my passport is valid for a while longer but couldn't remember exactly when it expires. So I checked it and sure enough, it will expire 5 months and 28 days after I land in Paris. Apparently that's not a problem for EU countries but we plan on going to Switzerland, which requires 6 months of cushion on expiration date for passports. I have no idea if they'd check that closely when we are leaving France to enter Switzerland, but we'll cross the border multiple times. Apparently most of the time they let you in (based in my intensive research of travel message boards), especially if you have a return ticket already purchased, but man, I don't want to risk it.

Thankfully I live in a large city that has a Regional Passport Office. I've got an appointment early next week for MJ and I to renew our passports. MJ's is good as hers expires two weeks later than mine, but we'll renew it just in case. Looks like the turnaround time for renewal is generally 24 hours but can be same day. It's just a pain to do it in person and an extra $60.

If all goes well, we'll get our new passports 3-4 days before departing for France . Yeah, that would have sucked to have been turned away at the airport from boarding...


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Dumb Americans.

[Moliere]

The Swiss do tend to be functionaries. This includes their border control people. I think it is a good idea to get your passport renewed before trying the border crossings there. But I have rented a car in Switzerland several times without having an international license and never had a problem. YMMV.

Renting the car isn't a problem. Hertz recommended it in the event that I get pulled over.


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[creekster]

Renting the car isn't a problem. Hertz recommended it in the event that I get pulled over.


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Meh. I still wouldn't be too worried about it. I have had to deal with cops for driving issues a few times in Europe and my US license was never a problem. but, whatever makes you comfortable is the best thing to do, obviously.

[kccougar]

So I was reading through what to bring to check in for my flight and noticed that my airline says I need a passport valid for 6 months after my departure date. I know my passport is valid for a while longer but couldn't remember exactly when it expires. So I checked it and sure enough, it will expire 5 months and 28 days after I land in Paris. Apparently that's not a problem for EU countries but we plan on going to Switzerland, which requires 6 months of cushion on expiration date for passports. I have no idea if they'd check that closely when we are leaving France to enter Switzerland, but we'll cross the border multiple times. Apparently most of the time they let you in (based in my intensive research of travel message boards), especially if you have a return ticket already purchased, but man, I don't want to risk it.

Thankfully I live in a large city that has a Regional Passport Office. I've got an appointment early next week for MJ and I to renew our passports. MJ's is good as hers expires two weeks later than mine, but we'll renew it just in case. Looks like the turnaround time for renewal is generally 24 hours but can be same day. It's just a pain to do it in person and an extra $60.

If all goes well, we'll get our new passports 3-4 days before departing for France . Yeah, that would have sucked to have been turned away at the airport from boarding...


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We went through this with my daughter the summer before last on a trip to Sweden. I checked the weekend before her Monday morning flight and saw that her passport would expire within the next three months. As you know the danger is that once you get to the country they might not let you in to prevent people from overstaying the tourist visit period and being stranded in country with no valid passport. So the airines generally won't let you board your flight out of the U.S. so you don't end up stuck in the airport when you land. Since it was the weekend, we couldn't go visit a regional passport office so we decided to simply chance it. I dropped my wife and my daughter at the airport on Monday morning, and I waited in case my daughter wouldn't be allowed on the flight. The Delta folks gave it a thorough examination but eventually approved it. At the gate, her passport was initially declined, and it had to be approved by hand. But she made it on her trip.

When she returned we had another trip planned to Germany within three weeks and we didn't want to push our luck a second time. My son, who had the same expiration date on his passport, had had time to send his off with expedited processing. But because my daughter was using her passport in Sweden, she couldn't renew until she returned. So I had to fly with her to Denver so that she could get hers renewed. It took about 3 hours.

[Bo Diddley]

So how are border crossings in Schengen Area administered? I had thought once you got into the area it was pretty much open.

[Joe Public]

I was supposed to go to Luxembourg for a few days back in January, but the airline wouldn't let me board because I didn't have at least three months left on my passport (LUX requirement). Good call getting it taken care of now.

[creekster]

So how are border crossings in Schengen Area administered? I had thought once you got into the area it was pretty much open.

It is open. No control once you enter unless there is some issue.

[myboynoah]

It is open. No control once you enter unless there is some issue.

My experience was that it was different between countries. We often drove from Paris to Belgium to shop at the U.S. base at Chievres. Belgium didn't even have anybody at the border, but the French were there on the way back checking the occasional suspicious car. They stopped me once and looked at the stock of American food and other goods in the back of the van as if I was some kind of smuggler.

[creekster]

My experience was that it was different between countries. We often drove from Paris to Belgium to shop at the U.S. base at Chievres. Belgium didn't even have anybody at the border, but the French were there on the way back checking the occasional suspicious car. They stopped me once and looked at the stock of American food and other goods in the back of the van as if I was some kind of smuggler.

Sure. If there is some issue. Like a sleazy dude with a rented car full of contraband.

I've driven across that border a few times, as well as to and between Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Czech Repub., Luxembourg, some multiple times, and never been stopped. In fact, once when driving from the Czech republic into Austria we were supposed to stop at the border to purchase a permit/tag for our rental and I couldn't find anyone at the border to ask about it. Eventually I went into a nearby booze and cigarette store at the border where i was only able to communicate with the clerk by speaking my fractured french to a german who then translated that into Czech and discovered that the border guys gave me authority to sell the licenses. Seemed fishy and weird since the store was on the Czech side of the border and i wanted a license for use in Austria, but it worked just fine.

[myboynoah]

Sure. If there is some issue. Like a sleazy dude with a rented car full of contraband.

I've driven across that border a few times, as well as to and between Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Czech Repub., Luxembourg, some multiple times, and never been stopped. In fact, once when driving from the Czech republic into Austria we were supposed to stop at the border to purchase a permit/tag for our rental and I couldn't find anyone at the border to ask about it. Eventually I went into a nearby booze and cigarette store at the border where i was only able to communicate with the clerk by speaking my fractured french to a german who then translated that into Czech and discovered that the border guys gave me authority to sell the licenses. Seemed fishy and weird since the store was on the Czech side of the border and i wanted a license for use in Austria, but it worked just fine.

Ha. Yes, that was my experience throughout Europe, except for France. They had guys at the border. They didn't stop everyone, but they gave out the stink eye freely.