Passports and Visas

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Before You Go

Passports
and Visas

the only part of a trip you cannot rush

The short version

Passports are the one piece of a trip that does not care how organized you are. There is a queue, it moves at its own speed, and no amount of paying extra makes a child appear at a passport office with both parents on a Tuesday afternoon. Start here, before flights, before hotels, before anything.

Timing is the whole game

Routine processing for a US passport currently runs about four to six weeks, and expedited about two to three. Neither number includes mailing, which can add up to two weeks on each end. Plan on eight to ten weeks for routine service and do not cut it close.

Check the expiry date today, not the month before you fly. Then check it against the rule that catches the most people out: many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months beyond your date of entry, and a lot of airlines will not board you if it is not. A passport that expires in four months is effectively already expired for most international travel.

Also count the blank pages. Some countries want two. A passport full of stamps can be refused entry.

Children passports work differently

A US passport for anyone under sixteen is valid for five years, not ten, and it cannot be renewed by mail. Every single one is an in person application, every time.

Both parents or legal guardians normally have to appear together with the child, or the absent parent has to provide a notarized consent form. This is the step that derails family trips, because it needs two adults, an appointment and the child in the same room.

Newborns need a passport too. There is no travelling on a parent document.

Set a calendar reminder for nine months before each child passport expires. Five years goes fast and nobody remembers.

When one parent travels alone with the children

Carry a consent letter from the non travelling parent, signed and ideally notarized, naming the children, the destination and the dates. Border officers in Canada, Mexico, South Africa and a number of European countries do ask, and airlines sometimes ask before officers get the chance.

If you are a solo parent, widowed, or the sole legal guardian, carry the paperwork that says so. A court order or a death certificate is not something you want to be explaining without it.

Bring the childrens birth certificates if their surname is different from yours. It is a two minute conversation with the document and a very long one without it.

Passport pages covered in entry and exit stamps
Stamps are on the way out in Europe. Fingerprints and a photo replace them.

Visas, and the new rules for Europe

For most US passport holders, Europe, the UK, Japan and much of Latin America do not require a visa for a short holiday. Plenty of other places do, and some of them want it applied for weeks in advance.

Two things are changing for Europe. The Entry Exit System, which replaces passport stamps with fingerprints and a photo at the Schengen border, began rolling out in late 2025. Expect slower lines at first, especially at big airports.

The second is ETIAS, a travel authorization rather than a visa, in the same family as the US ESTA. It is scheduled to be introduced in the last quarter of 2026, costs 20 euros, and lasts three years or until your passport expires. Children under 18 are exempt from the fee but still need the authorization. The exact start date is to be confirmed at least six months in advance, so check before you book.

The UK has its own version, an Electronic Travel Authorisation, which is already in force for US visitors and has to be applied for before you fly.

Names, copies, and losing one

The name on the ticket has to match the name on the passport exactly. Not the nickname, not the maiden name, not the version without the middle name. Airlines will not always fix it for free and some will not fix it at all.

Photograph every passport photo page and store the images somewhere you can reach without your bag. Email them to yourself. Leave a copy with somebody at home.

If a passport is lost or stolen abroad, report it to local police for the report, then contact the nearest US embassy or consulate. They can issue an emergency passport, often within a day or two, but it is far faster if you can show them a copy.

Half the trips I plan start with the same sentence, which is that somebody just found an expired passport in a drawer. Check yours now and the rest of this is easy.

Questions people actually ask

How long does it take to get a US passport?

Routine is currently four to six weeks and expedited two to three, plus up to two weeks of mailing at each end. Build in eight to ten weeks unless you are paying for expedited service.

How long is a child passport valid?

Five years for anyone under sixteen, compared to ten for adults. Child passports also have to be renewed in person rather than by mail.

What is the six month passport rule?

Many countries require your passport to remain valid for at least six months after you enter. Airlines enforce it at check in, so a passport expiring inside six months can stop you flying even though it has not technically expired.

Do Americans need a visa for Europe?

Not for a short holiday. From late 2026 you will need an ETIAS travel authorization, which costs 20 euros, lasts three years, and is not the same thing as a visa. The UK already requires its own electronic authorization.

Does my child need a consent letter to travel with one parent?

It is strongly recommended and sometimes required. Carry a signed, notarized letter from the other parent naming the child, the destination and the dates, plus a birth certificate if surnames differ.

More in Before You Go

ASTA Verified Travel Advisor

Written and kept current by Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with Adventures We Seek. If something here is out of date, tell me and I will fix it.

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