9 Passport Mistakes that Could Destroy Your Trip

You know that feeling when you’re terrified you forgot your passport, even though you checked 12 million times before leaving? A lost passport is a nightmare! It’s also not the only mistake you can make that will derail your travel plans.

Here are nine mistakes you could make that might get you turned away from the airport or cause other havoc while abroad. This is aimed towards US citizens, but this generally applies to any passport.

This is crucial if you are applying for your first passport or need to renew! If you already have a passport, you should absolutely check its expiration date. Set a reminder somewhere to make sure you renew it at least 12 weeks before it’s due.

Passport processing times are your worst nightmare if a trip is coming up, and you need a new one! It’s also important to stay on top of in case you have to leave the country unexpectedly. I remember when my first passport expired and that feeling I wasn’t able to leave the country was terrible.

If you need to expedite a renewal, those add extra fees! If you’re within 14 days of travelling, you can make an appointment at a passport agency. However, there aren’t that many of these in the United States, and you might have to travel pretty far to get to one. Get it done ASAP!

Did you know if your passport is damaged, you could be turned away? How horrible would that be after a long flight?? The amount of damage to be a problem is up to the gate agent and immigration. However, the US Department of State describes damage as, “water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages (torn out), or a hole punch.”

It’s also clarified that you don’t need to replace it for “normal wear and tear, which includes the bend of a passport after being carried in your back pocket or fanning of the visa pages after lots of opening and closing.” Basically, they understand it won’t be as crisp as the day you received it!

If you accidentally washed it or your pet thought it was a chew toy, best to get a new one.

Did you know that your passport’s expiration date typically needs to at least 3–6 months past your return? Yup! So if you’re returning on February 12th and your passport expires on March 30th, that’s actually too soon. You could be denied even leaving the country.

Many countries have requirements that your passport is valid well beyond your return. Double check based on where you’re going. It’s best to make sure you have at least six months left on it before you go.

Though passport stamps are becoming a thing of the past (which absolutely breaks my heart) many countries do require you have at least 2-4 blank pages available. If you don’t have enough for where you need to go, you’ll have to renew early.

If you do have to renew because you fill your pages too quickly, there is an option for a “large book” which has additional pages.

US passport holders are lucky to have a “strong” passport with visa-free access to a good portion of the world. However, there are still many out there where you do need to apply for a visa before you can enter.

You’ll need to check where you’re going, as some are free and available upon arrival. Others require an application and sometimes costly fees well in advance. It’s also important to check for things like vaccine requirements and if a country you’re transiting through requires a visa or electronic travel authorization (ETA) as well. It’s always best to confirm, never assume!

For the record, even the United States requires people transiting through to get an ETA. Even if they aren’t leaving the airport!

This is typically an issue for people who have changed their name, booked a ticket in that name, but then their passport has their old name on it. This is most common when people get married!

If you’ve changed your name, you have two options:

If the names on your documents don’t match, you’ll most likely be denied boarding. Talk about a way to ruin the honeymoon!

There are many sites around the world that offer commemorative “passport stamps” such as Machu Picchu, Antarctica, and Korea’s DMZ. These can be a lot of fun, but putting them in your actual passport is a massive mistake and can render it “damaged”. It’s not a stamp from an official immigration authority. Best to get a separate notebook or novelty stamp passport for these types of things.

I admit I’ve been guilty of this one! The issue is a lot of places want to see valid ID and won’t accept foreign driver’s licenses. They can’t always determine if they’re fake or not. I mean, think about it, even in the US there are so many different license designs. Would you be able to keep them straight?

Losing your license is a minor inconvenience and easily replaced when you get home. It’s a lot worse if you lose your passport and have to go to an embassy to get an emergency one to fly home. Make sure to lock your passport up in your hotel in the safe and always check for it before you leave to go home! One trick is to leave a shoe in the safe as well. So when you’re packing, you’ll notice it’s missing and remember to grab it and your passport.

It’s also wise to have a paper copy as well as digital one of your passport you can access if needed.

NEVER, dear god, NEVER put your passport in your checked bag! You need this document for boarding the plane and going through immigration. If you don’t have it, you’re not going anywhere. Worst case, put on the next flight home for not having proper documentation.

Always keep your passport and all IDs with you in your personal item in the cabin. This would be a purse, briefcase, etc. Something you can easily access and won’t be checked at the gate if they “run out of overhead space”.