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Passport expiry and flying over U.S.


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I'm off to London & Norway next month. My Canadian passport expires in November which means it will be just under 6 months before expiry by the travel date.

 

According to England & Norway, I'm fine, but I thought I read somewhere that Air Canada could prevent me from boarding because the flight from Toronto would cross U.S. airspace on the way to London and they have a six month expiry rule (in case we made an emergency landing). Direct flight from YYZ to LHR. Am I right about this?

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I'm off to London & Norway next month. My Canadian passport expires in November which means it will be just under 6 months before expiry by the travel date.

 

According to England & Norway, I'm fine, but I thought I read somewhere that Air Canada could prevent me from boarding because the flight from Toronto would cross U.S. airspace on the way to London and they have a six month expiry rule (in case we made an emergency landing). Direct flight from YYZ to LHR. Am I right about this?

 

Toronto to LHR crosses US airspace? Don't think so. US doesn't have a 6 months rule for canadians. You will be fine

 

This is from passport canada web site

 

Validity of Canadian passport

 

Although many countries require that a passport be valid at least six months beyond the duration of your stay, American authorities currently state that as a Canadian: "Your passport only needs to be valid for the duration of your planned trip to the U.S."

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After some more research I think I'm okay, but will call Air Canada to see what their deal is.

 

1) I don't think there is a U.S. worry re: emergency landings and anyway their passport expiry dates for Canadian citizens are fine. Just thought it was something I read years ago and glad to see its not an issue.

 

2) Ultimate destination from London is a cruise in Norway. Norway's requirement is 3 months, so I'm fine.

 

3) UK. a) same as U.S. in that Cdn. passport must be valid for at least time of trip and b) was born there to British citizens, so even though I don't have a UK passport I am a dual citizen.

 

Think it was more a caffeine-deficient worry...will still call AC to make sure they're fine with it.

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3) b) was born there to British citizens, so even though I don't have a UK passport I am a dual citizen.

 

Were you born in the U.K.?

If not you have to apply for dual citizenship ;)

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Were you born in the U.K.?

 

Yes, I sorta thought the "was born there to British citizens" was the giveaway.

 

[ducking and running to avoid thrown tomatoes] ;)

 

Anywhoooo, called Air Canada and after a 45 minute hold they said they follow the rues of the countries we're heading to, and since Norway and UK are fine, I'm fine.

 

Phew!

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Yes, I sorta thought the "was born there to British citizens" was the giveaway.

 

 

Phew!

OOPS missed the "there" in your post

must need food the brain is failing

Enjoy Norway it is beautiful there

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Flying over a country doesn't make you subject to their passport or visa requirements.

 

I realize that now, but at one point thought I had read that the U.S. was trying to get passport info for flights that flew over the U.S. even if the destination was outside. Might have been a false memory.

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spacer.gifPASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

A passport is required and must be valid for six months after the completion of

travel. Please ensure the name on your passport matches your name as it appears

on your booking. Additionally, make certain that your passport contains blank

pages for entry and exit endorsements and any visas that may be required. If

necessary, allow sufficient time to renew your passport and/or obtain

additional pages.

spacer.gifspacer.gifSCHENGEN VISA REQUIREMENT

During the cruise, you will be visiting countries which are members of the

Schengen Agreement. Schengen Agreement countries require passport holders

from various countries to obtain a visa in advance. This requirement does not

apply to U.S. or Canadian passport holders. A multiple entry visa will be

required if a non-Schengen country is visited in between visits to Schengen

countries (Example: depart from Italy, visit Turkey, arrive in Spain).

Schengen Agreement countries include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy,

Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,

Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

 

For my cruise around Br.Isles/Le Havre my cruise personalizer says the above. I fly from Toronto to England to board the ship.

spacer.gif

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Going to call HAL now. Most of the stuff on their site seems to apply to U.S. citizens. At one point it says "six months" is recommended and in another part on the same page it says required. The site doesn't seem to say anything about non-U.S. citizens board a ship in non-US ports.

 

Argh...

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Well, so much for the customer service rep at HAL. She said if the info didn't bounced after we entered the passport expiry dates, we were okay.

 

But then you look at the fine print of the edocs printed and they say:

For U.S. and Canadian Citizens

Travel by Land or Sea:

Travel document requirements vary based on cruise itinerary and

whether international flights are required. For voyages that are

scheduled to end outside the U.S., a passport that is valid for six

months beyond the completion date of your travel is required.

 

Well, this voyage starts and ends outside the U.S....and even though the UK government says the expiry is fine and the Norwegian government says the expiry is fine, it's somehow not fine with HAL?

 

I tried calling again but their offices are now closed. Very angry/confused right now, why would HAL be different than the government?

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At this point, I've just decided to not tempt fate (1 HAL rep says one thing, the one at the dock says another) and just get the darn thing renewed. Peace of mind is always cheaper. :)

 

Looking at the fee chart, I see if I drop it off at the downtown office T.O. office and pay an extra $10, I can pick it up in ten biz days. Much better than hoping the mail isn't slow.

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Glad it's all sorted, but just on a previous point - I'm pretty certain the UK ISN'T part of the Schengen agreement.

 

The UK is not part of the Schengen area.

Quite right, I apologize for a very poor choice of words; I was trying to say that Norway (is part of Schengen) and UK (not part of Schengen) both have the same 3 month passport excess validity requirement. They do not both participate in Schengen reciprocity on passport inspection and border crossings.

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At this point, I've just decided to not tempt fate (1 HAL rep says one thing, the one at the dock says another) and just get the darn thing renewed. Peace of mind is always cheaper. :)

 

Looking at the fee chart, I see if I drop it off at the downtown office T.O. office and pay an extra $10, I can pick it up in ten biz days. Much better than hoping the mail isn't slow.

probably a good plan ;)

 

I just read that soon you will be able to get a 10yr passport ...

It is a pain having to stump up every 4.5 yrs for a new one..at least this time we could just do the renewal not hunting up a guarantor

 

good luck

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I've run into this with Princess twice-had to renew passport when it would expire just a few days short of the 6 month expiry. my personalizer would not accept the passport/immigration form I filled out.

 

just had my passport renewed here in ontario-took it to office/sent back to my home in 7 days. mailman delivered-must sign for it.

glad you are playing it safe.

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