How Long Must Your Passport Be Valid for a Visa Application?

It depends on the destination, and there is no single rule. Schengen states want your passport valid for at least three months after you leave and issued within the last ten years, the United States and Saudi Arabia want six months of validity, and the UK only needs it to cover the whole of your stay. Canada issues a visa no longer than the passport it sits in, so a short-dated passport shortens your visa.

How long must your passport be valid for a Schengen visa?

Three months past your exit date, on a passport issued within the last ten years. The European Commission states that the passport's expiry date should be at least 3 months after the date of your departure from the Schengen area, and for a multiple-entry visa it counts from your departure after the last trip.

The ten-year rule catches people out. Your Europe explains that the passport must have been issued within the last 10 years, so a passport extended beyond its original expiry date can be refused even if it still shows months of validity.

You also need space for the sticker. The German Federal Foreign Office lists at least two blank pages suitable for carrying a visa, and the same page repeats the ten-year limit at the time of your intended entry. VFS Global in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and BLS International for Spain, check this before they accept your file.

Is six months of passport validity required for the UK, US, Canada and Saudi Arabia?

Only for the US and Saudi Arabia. GOV.UK says you must have a passport or travel document that is valid for the whole of your stay in the UK, and nothing more. A passport with seven months left is fine for a two-week trip to London.

The US Department of State requires that your passport be valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States, unless exempt by country-specific agreements. Whether your nationality is exempt depends on the agreement your country holds with the US, so check before you file the DS-160.

Saudi Arabia sets the same six-month bar. The Ministry of Tourism regulations require a passport valid for no less than 6 months, and GCC residents also need a residence visa valid for no less than three months. Our post on the Saudi tourist eVisa for UAE residents covers the rest of the checklist.

Canada has no fixed minimum, but a short passport costs you visa time. IRCC says a visitor visa may be valid for up to a maximum of 10 years, or until the expiry of either your passport or biometrics, whichever comes first. IRCC also asks for at least 1 free page in your passport for the visa.

Should you renew your passport before applying for a visa?

Yes, if it has under a year left or was issued more than nine years ago. Renewing before you apply means the Schengen ten-year rule, the US and Saudi six-month rules and the Canada expiry cap all stop being a problem.

Renewing after you apply creates a different problem. A Schengen or UK visa sticker sits in the passport it was issued in, so if that passport is replaced you travel with both, and your visa centre or consulate can tell you whether a transfer is needed. The safer order is renew first, then apply.

Residence permits matter too. Schengen posts and the Saudi eVisa both look at your UAE residence visa as well as your passport, so check the two expiry dates together. VisaWadi checks both against the embassy's rules for every destination we cover for UAE residents.

What else does the visa centre check on your passport?

Condition, signature and blank pages. The German Federal Foreign Office says the passport must be signed and undamaged, and a torn or water-stained passport is turned away at the counter.

Blank pages are counted, not estimated. Schengen wants two and Canada wants one.

Your photo and biometrics are checked at the same visit, so read our guides to visa photo requirements for Schengen, the UK, the US and Canada and where to give Canada biometrics in the UAE. If you are unsure whether your passport passes, send us a photo of the data page through the contact page and we will tell you before you pay any fee.

Sources

• Applying for a Schengen visa, European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs
• Travel documents for non-EU nationals, Your Europe (European Union)
• Schengen Visa Applications FAQs, German Federal Foreign Office
• Apply for a Standard Visitor visa, GOV.UK
• Visitor Visa, US Department of State
• Visitor visa: About the document, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Valid passports and other travel documents needed to come to Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Tourist Visa Regulations, Saudi Ministry of Tourism