Singapore Expats

Passport with less than 6 months

Discuss about the latest news & interesting topics, real life experience or other out of topic discussions with locals & expatriates in Singapore.
Post Reply
User avatar
BigSis
Chatter
Chatter
Posts: 401
Joined: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 8:30 pm

Passport with less than 6 months

Post by BigSis » Sat, 12 May 2012 12:22 am

You know how you have to have more than 6 months on your passport to go to a lot of countries around here?

What about if you're moving back to the UK from Singapore and have less than 6 months on it - is that OK; does anyone know if it will cause problems?

User avatar
Mad Scientist
Director
Director
Posts: 3544
Joined: Thu, 03 Dec 2009 6:31 am
Answers: 4
Location: TIMBUKTU

Post by Mad Scientist » Sat, 12 May 2012 2:40 am

Most countries has a minimum requirement of 6 months validity on the PP in order for one to travel out or into a country be it a child or an adult. Either the airline or border control will deny you from flying out or entering one country if the PP has less than the requirement validity. This is playing Russian Roulette with yourself
The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.Yahoo !!!

User avatar
carteki
Editor
Editor
Posts: 1237
Joined: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:03 pm
Location: Singapore
Contact:

Post by carteki » Sat, 12 May 2012 3:36 am

get a new passport - its as easy as that. nothing like waiting at immigration to go to Thai / Indo / My and getting put on the next plane / bus back to SG because of not meeting this rule

different country, but Lance Armstrong very nearly didn't get to take part in one of SA's top cycle races because he didn't have 2 empty pages in his passport.

Its not like you're not going to use your passport when you're back in the UK.

User avatar
sundaymorningstaple
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 40532
Joined: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 1:26 pm
Answers: 21
Location: Retired on the Little Red Dot

Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sat, 12 May 2012 6:59 am

Normally the problem is not going home, but getting out of the last country before arriving in your home country. Airlines are not supposed to allow you to board without having 6 months left. However, some countries, like the USA will allow you to enter with an expired passport (I know this for a fact as my son did just that back in 2010 when we went home. He left here on his Singapore Passport and entered the US on his expired US passport. We applied for & got a new passport while in the US.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

User avatar
zzm9980
Governor
Governor
Posts: 6869
Joined: Wed, 06 Jul 2011 1:35 pm
Location: Once more unto the breach

Post by zzm9980 » Sat, 12 May 2012 8:34 am

I've been denied boarding due to this. My passport had 5 months about 28 days left, and I even had a valid multiple entry visa to where I was going that was good for another six months.

I had to check in only through to my transit point, and then was called by airline service desk as I was boarding the plane; they had just sorted it out and confirmed that if the destination country had given me a 6 month multiple entry visa that had an expiration into the "6 month period" of the passport, it would be OK for me. (NO SH!T was what I wanted to scream at that point).

Anyway, go get it renewed just to avoid any potential problems with clueless airline people who can't think independently. Not that we'd have THOSE in Changi ;)

User avatar
BigSis
Chatter
Chatter
Posts: 401
Joined: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 8:30 pm

Post by BigSis » Sat, 12 May 2012 7:57 pm

I emailed the Consulate passport/travel info section to ask them - I'll see what they say next week.

I just read that you can enter the UK with less than 3 months if you're a citizen, but not sure about getting out of here.

User avatar
zzm9980
Governor
Governor
Posts: 6869
Joined: Wed, 06 Jul 2011 1:35 pm
Location: Once more unto the breach

Post by zzm9980 » Sat, 12 May 2012 10:29 pm

BigSis wrote: I just read that you can enter the UK with less than 3 months if you're a citizen, but not sure about getting out of here.
I'm sure the UK will allow you in. Your challenge will be trying to convince the gate agent at Changi of this who will have the typical "cannot lah" attitude without a shred of common sense. Your husband could be David Cameron and they'd keep pointing to some bullet point they have on a laminated placard that just says passports need to have more than six months remaining validity for check-in.

User avatar
BillyB
Manager
Manager
Posts: 1807
Joined: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:01 pm
Location: My laptop

Post by BillyB » Sun, 13 May 2012 12:48 pm

BigSis wrote:I emailed the Consulate passport/travel info section to ask them - I'll see what they say next week.

I just read that you can enter the UK with less than 3 months if you're a citizen, but not sure about getting out of here.
By law you can enter the UK with 1 day left. You are a citizen and have the right of abode to stay indefinitely. You don't need to have a valid passport if you don't intend to leave the Country.

Getting out might be a different issue!

Just apply for a new passport via the regional Hong Kong processing office - I've just gone through it and it took 3 weeks from submission to receiving the new one. (Very quick if you think about the logistics: Posted from SG to HK, who then post it to the UK, UK then process it, UK post it back to HK, HK finally post it to SG - gotta be British to come up with that smart idea!)

User avatar
BigSis
Chatter
Chatter
Posts: 401
Joined: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 8:30 pm

Post by BigSis » Sun, 13 May 2012 1:32 pm

BillyB wrote:
BigSis wrote:I emailed the Consulate passport/travel info section to ask them - I'll see what they say next week.

I just read that you can enter the UK with less than 3 months if you're a citizen, but not sure about getting out of here.
By law you can enter the UK with 1 day left. You are a citizen and have the right of abode to stay indefinitely. You don't need to have a valid passport if you don't intend to leave the Country.

Getting out might be a different issue!

Just apply for a new passport via the regional Hong Kong processing office - I've just gone through it and it took 3 weeks from submission to receiving the new one. (Very quick if you think about the logistics: Posted from SG to HK, who then post it to the UK, UK then process it, UK post it back to HK, HK finally post it to SG - gotta be British to come up with that smart idea!)
Yes you're all right - best to be on the safe side. It is a complete faff this new system they've got going, but if I get it sent off early this week it should hopefully be back by early June.

User avatar
aster
Manager
Manager
Posts: 1621
Joined: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:15 pm

Post by aster » Mon, 14 May 2012 8:00 am

BillyB wrote:Just apply for a new passport via the regional Hong Kong processing office - I've just gone through it and it took 3 weeks from submission to receiving the new one. (Very quick if you think about the logistics: Posted from SG to HK, who then post it to the UK, UK then process it, UK post it back to HK, HK finally post it to SG - gotta be British to come up with that smart idea!)
I'd bet it was "made in HK."

They're narrowed down the number of processing centres, but ultimately the decision has been made to handle everything in the UK, so no more regional offices by the next time you renew...

User avatar
BillyB
Manager
Manager
Posts: 1807
Joined: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:01 pm
Location: My laptop

Post by BillyB » Mon, 14 May 2012 10:34 am

aster wrote:
BillyB wrote:Just apply for a new passport via the regional Hong Kong processing office - I've just gone through it and it took 3 weeks from submission to receiving the new one. (Very quick if you think about the logistics: Posted from SG to HK, who then post it to the UK, UK then process it, UK post it back to HK, HK finally post it to SG - gotta be British to come up with that smart idea!)
I'd bet it was "made in HK."

They're narrowed down the number of processing centres, but ultimately the decision has been made to handle everything in the UK, so no more regional offices by the next time you renew...
Completed in HK and sent to the UK for rubber stamping?!

Either way, it's one illogical process...

User avatar
aster
Manager
Manager
Posts: 1621
Joined: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:15 pm

Post by aster » Mon, 14 May 2012 12:27 pm

Turns out the Hong Kong printing press was turned off several months ago: http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/news/ ... =649875282

Not sure why they need local processing centres, surely they can handle all that in the UK if ultimately all passports will be centrally-printed from now onwards?

User avatar
BillyB
Manager
Manager
Posts: 1807
Joined: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:01 pm
Location: My laptop

Post by BillyB » Mon, 14 May 2012 2:08 pm

aster wrote:Turns out the Hong Kong printing press was turned off several months ago: http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/news/ ... =649875282

Not sure why they need local processing centres, surely they can handle all that in the UK if ultimately all passports will be centrally-printed from now onwards?
Exactly......

User avatar
BigSis
Chatter
Chatter
Posts: 401
Joined: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 8:30 pm

Post by BigSis » Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:50 pm

Update for anyone else in this situation:

I emailed the consulate back in May and they said no problem if returning for good - as the UK don't have the 6 month thing. I printed off the email and kept it with the passport just in case we got stopped. Flew back to the UK yesterday and got through without any problems.

It may cause problems if you were flying via another country but this was a non-stop flight and it was fine.

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “General Discussions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests