Travel to Canada and Mexico

These days US citizens traveling to Mexico or Canada must have a valid passport. Because both Mexico and Canada allow a visitor to stay in country for six months, the visitor’s passport must be valid for six months at the time of entry. This is why there is a “six month rule” for passports. It is to avoid passport issues on an extended stay.

Our trip planning includes an excursion into Canada this fall and a trip to South America next spring. While setting up to renew my passport for our spring trip, I noticed that the passport would go invalid within six months of our trip to Canada. Ooops. I have to renew my passport NOW to avoid entry issues into Canada this fall. I’ll head out to get passport photos this afternoon!

It is quite easy to forget that a passport is required for both Canada and Mexico. This is a relatively new requirement. In the past a simple driver’s license was all that was necessary.

When traveling, do not forget to check the expiration date of your passport and remember the six month rule. There is lots of conflicting information on the internet, some stating you can travel with a passport that expires in four months, others say it doesn’t matter if you are not going by plane. Don’t gamble with something as simple as passport renewal. Renew well ahead of time save yourself some grief.

Ron

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