Passport renewal: How many months do I need left to travel

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Argentina Australia Barbados Canada* Chile Gibraltar Ireland Jamaica Japan Mauritius Mexico Tunisia St Lucia USA *While this is technically the rule for Canada, if you have six months or less on your passport, it may take longer for you to get through immigration. Valid for three months All EU countries, plus those in the Schengen Area require you to have three months left on your passport from the day you plan to leave. This is true for the following countries: Andorra Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Republic of Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania San Marino Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Vatican City These non-European countries also require three months’ validity on your day of departure: British Virgin Islands Cuba French Polynesia Kazakhstan Lebanon Morocco New Zealand Réunion South Korea Uzbekistan Valid for six months In most cases, this means valid for six months from the date you arrive in the country, but it’s worth checking the Foreign Office’s individual entry requirements for the country you’re visiting to make sure. Antigua and Barbuda The Bahamas Belize Bolivia Botswana Brazil Cambodia China Colombia Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt Fiji Jordan Indonesia Israel Kenya Laos Madagascar* Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Namibia* Nepal Oman Peru Philippines Qatar Russia Singapore South Africa* Sri Lanka Tanzania Thailand Turkey United Arab Emirates Vietnam *South Africa, Madagascar, Kenya also require you to have two blank pages left in your passport; Namibia requires one blank page.