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Checking the expiration date on your American passport is one of the most important things any traveler can do before leaving the United States. Making sure your passport’s still good can save you lots of money or a potential round-trip back to America. It’s especially important if you’re coming to Poland, because Poland, like many other countries, does not let you into the country on an expired American passport.
Adult U.S. passports are valid for 10 years; passports for persons under 16 are valid for five years. The only exceptions are passports issued as replacements for lost or stolen passports – these documents may be valid for a shorter period of time. (Polish passports, for adults and minors, are valid for 10 years).
If you are a U.S. citizen who arrives in Poland without a valid passport, Polish immigration authorities will not let you in. They can put you on the next flight back to the country you came from (which, in the case of the U.S., means up to a 10-hour flight back home). If the U.S. Embassy is asked to issue an emergency passport at the airport, the fee for such off-site service is $62.00/quarter hour, the service usually takes two hours, and charges must be paid in cash.
Making sure your passport is valid is particularly important if you are a dual national, i.e., a citizen of both Poland and the United States. If you are a Polish citizen, Polish immigration will let you enter on the Polish passport—but will also require that you leave on the Polish passport. You can run into trouble if your Polish passport expires in the interim: you’ll have to apply for a new Polish passport in Poland and, in peak travel seasons, that can take one-to-two months.
Even if you enter Poland on a Polish passport, you will need a valid American passport to get back into the United States. No other document suffices: you cannot use a naturalization certificate to enter the United States from Europe. Except in emergencies, U.S. passports are not printed at diplomatic posts abroad. U.S. Embassy Warsaw or U.S. Consulate General Krakow accepts your application and sends it to New Hampshire for processing: the turnaround time can be up to eight working days.
It is critical that you check the validity of your child’s American passport, especially if the child is traveling with other relatives such as grandparents. You do not want your child to be stuck in an airport waiting room for hours because his or her passport is expired. Nor would you want to have the child sent back to the United States (especially if your relative does not have the appropriate visa). Even if an emergency passport is issued at the airport, the process is costly, time-consuming and frightening for a little child. If the child gets into Poland on a Polish passport, he or she will still need a valid American passport to return to the United States. Issuing American passports to minor children requires both parents’ consent, a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate issued by a vital statistics registrar, and parental authorization for the non-parents to act on their behalf—all documents other relatives are unlikely to have. Remember that American passports issued to persons under age 16—unlike Polish passports—are valid only for five, not 10 years.
It’s all not worth the time, worry, money, and hassle. Why not take out your passports right now and check when they expire? Renew them now, while there’s plenty of time.
For more information: John Grondelski, American Citizen Services, U.S. Embassy Warsaw GrondelsJM@state.gov
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