Cases when it is necessary to check the validity of a passport

A passport is the main document of a traveler, providing access to almost any country. When preparing documents for a trip, the Embassies and Consulates in the mandatory requirements indicate the period of validity of the foreign passport after the end of the trip. In this regard, checking a passport for validity should become an integral part of preparing for a trip or a business visit.

Now passports are made of old and new samples, with a validity period of 5 and 10 years, respectively. Passport of the old type after 5 years must be replaced. A passport with biometric data at the end of its validity can be exchanged for a new one.

In addition to entry and exit requirements, a passport may be considered invalid if:

• The photo does not correspond to the owner (there have been changes in appearance).
• Has damage, soiling, torn or peeled pages.
• Does not have blank pages for visa application.
• Information about the owner is indicated with errors or typos.
• Issued to a different surname (in case of marriage or change of surname for another reason).

If external changes have occurred to your travel document, for example, moisture has got in and the ink has smeared, then it is considered invalid.

When changing the name, surname, marriage or in other circumstances, these changes must be reflected in the foreign passport without fail. The replacement of the passport in all of the above cases proceeds in the usual manner. Therefore, it is advised to prepare and check documents in advance in order to avoid unpleasant situations.

Verification methods

You can check the validity of a passport on its main page, where your data is indicated. Below is the date of issue of the document and the end of its validity. With this information, you yourself can decide whether your passport is expired. It depends on which country you are going to go to and what the entry rules are.

Checking the validity of the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation is carried out on the FMS website. The service allows you to check whether the passport is expired and whether it is valid. Entering will tell you the status of your document. Information about the validity of a foreign passport appears on the screen instantly. This service is available only for old-style passports - with a five-year validity period.

On the website of the department it is specified that this information is verification and has no legal force. Due to the law on the protection of personal data, you will not be able to verify your last name and other important information.

To check the data by the employees of the Federal Migration Service (GUVM), you must personally contact the service department at the place of registration or actual residence. To do this, you must submit a written application in the order of the general queue. This process is quite long, takes about 30 days, but the most reliable.

Described in a separate article.

Validation

The algorithm for checking the validity of a passport on the website of the migration service of the Russian Federation:

• On the site, find the "Services" section.

• Next, at the end of the list, find the button "Checking invalid passports with a validity period of 5 years."

• Fill in the empty boxes. You must enter the series and number of the passport.
• Enter the code below in the special box.
• Click the "send request" button.

If everything is in order with your document, you will see the inscription “nothing found”. If the passport has expired or is not valid, this will also be reflected.

Countries' entry requirements

If your passport is still formally valid and covers the dates of the intended trip, this does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter the country. Before traveling, you should find out in advance what requirements a particular country imposes for entry. In some cases, it can be a month after leaving, and in some it can be up to a year.

There are countries that do not pay attention to the validity of the passport after the trip. So in Australia they do not put forward any requirements regarding the validity of a foreign passport.

Most European countries require a foreigner to have at least 90 days left in the passport after the end of the trip. In Israel, the rules are somewhat different. The validity of the passport is counted from the moment of entry into the country, and not from the return to the homeland.

The requirements for obtaining a visa, for example, to the UK or Singapore indicate that the passport must be valid for at least 6 months at the time of submission of documents.

For any traveler, when planning a trip, the most important thing seems to be buying tickets and booking a hotel, but still, a valid and not expired passport remains in the first place. No matter how tempting the offer of a tour operator or air carrier is, the first thing to do is check your document.