It is time to check your passports to make sure you know where they are and that they have not expired. It is important to know that since you’re traveling out of the country, a valid passport might not be enough to allow you to board your flight or cruise ship. It might expire too soon to meet the foreign country’s requirements.
When booking your travel vacation with us, our stringent review process here at Tillie James Travel ensures that your required documents are received and reviewed in our offices in a timely manner.
Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months, because a growing number of countries are demanding it. You can check the requirements for the countries you plan to visit at the Department of State’s website at https://travel.state.gov.
A West Palm Beach woman was shocked recently when Delta Airlines would not allow her to board a flight for the first leg of a trip to Italy, even though her passport was not set to expire until 25 days after her scheduled return. Literally at the gate, she learned that her passport had to be valid for three months after she sets foot in Italy.
Delta spokesman Brian Kruse defended the airline’s policy. “Our website provides International Travel Information,” he said. “Which includes, ‘In general, your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date you enter a foreign country.’”
To prevent this from happening to you, please check your passport now and make sure it is valid for at least 6 months after your return date.
Processing Turnaround Times for New Passports
The Department of State’s routine turnaround time for a new passport can take up to 18 weeks from the day your application is submitted. This turnaround time includes up to 12 weeks for processing and 6 weeks for mailing. The Department of State suggests that you send your application to them via trackable mail, so you can track your application. Check out this Department of State’s link for more information about U.S. Passports. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport.html
Tillie and Joe James
Tillie James Travel LLC
804.997.9460 | info@tilliejamestravel.com
