What requirements are there for passport validity when entering the UK and France?

April 13, 2007 10:53 AM

What requirements are there for passport validity when entering the UK and France?

I have a Canadian passport and am a Canadian citizen intending to travel to England and France, returning mid-June. I have a direct flight in and out of England, and am taking the Eurostar to France from England. My passport expires mid-November, giving me about 5 months before expiry when I return from this trip. I know that there are some countries that require 6 months validity, but I have not been able to determine definitively if this applies in the UK or France. I'd call the consulate, but at 2.80 USD a minute to use their outsourced helpdesk, I'm hoping someone who's encountered this before might be able to help me first.

posted by Big Fat Tycoon to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

The US Dept. of State Foreign Entry Requirements page shows that even for people who need a visa to enter France, their passports only need to be valid for three months after the departure date.

The UK Home Office Border and Immigration site doesn't mention any requirements along these lines. (Nor does any other site I've been able to find.) There are some email addresses on that page, though, if you want to email someone to double-check.

In my experience (I worked in travel for about 10 years), that sort of requirement is almost always made on a case-by-case basis by the customs official checking your passport when you come into the country, and can be really arbitrarily enforced.
posted by occhiblu at 11:08 AM on April 13, 2007

I'm pretty sure you only need 3 month validity since that is the maximum period you're allowed to be in France (Schengen area) after entry without special dispensation.
posted by beerbajay at 11:20 AM on April 13, 2007

I'm pretty sure there's no six-month validity requirement to enter the UK, but since Canadians generally get up to a six-month leave of entry, the immigration agents at the airport and on the Eurostar will probably reduce that to a shorter period, based upon your return flight date.
posted by holgate at 11:24 AM on April 13, 2007

Hrm but for the UK (not Schengen), you usually get a 6 month tourist visa by default... but I can't find any documentation on the british embassy in canda's pages about passport validity.
posted by beerbajay at 11:37 AM on April 13, 2007

Here's excertps from what Timatic says:

National CANADA (CA)/Destination UNITED KINGDOM (GREAT BRITAIN) (GB)

Passport (must be valid for the period of intended stay) required.

Visa not required.

National CANADA (CA)/Destination FRANCE (FR)

Passport required.
Identity Card accepted only if travelling to St. Pierre and
Miquelon for a stay of max. 15 days.

Visa not required for stay of max. 3 months.

Nothing about the passport needing to be valid for a certain number of days afterwards, as there is for other countries. But I'd second what occhiblu said at the end. Even if it is not a requirement, an immigration official might decide that your short-term validity passport requires extra scrutiny.

If it were me, I would just renew your passport early, and forget about it for another few years.
posted by grouse at 12:10 PM on April 13, 2007

Even if it is not a requirement, an immigration official might decide that your short-term validity passport requires extra scrutiny.

Which means (1) you probably don't have to worry about it, and (2) if you are worried about it, dress nicely and look like you have money and no plans to take advantage of either country's healthcare or welfare systems.
posted by occhiblu at 12:35 PM on April 13, 2007

Looks like I totally misunderstood what occhiblu meant.
posted by grouse at 12:41 PM on April 13, 2007

I recently went to the U.K. on a passport with a month of validity on it. The passport lady gave me a bit of hassle about it but I was let in.
posted by cameldrv at 2:45 PM on April 13, 2007

Heh, no, you're right. Immigration officials can be... whimsical, we'll say. But, in my experience, they tend to reserve their whimsy for people who they think look poor.
posted by occhiblu at 3:12 PM on April 13, 2007

You will have no trouble, Big Fat Tycoon.
posted by keijo at 7:57 AM on April 14, 2007