Traveling on Expired National Passport

[ivan drago 0]

I'm a GC holder but my national passport is about to expire and renewing it is a very lengthy and cumbersome process, especially considering I will be eligible for US citizenship soon. I heard I could travel with US travel document ( I-131 I assume) in lieu of passport. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks

[Zee Bee 61]

I would assume you would still have to present a valid passport for international travel.

Edited March 30, 2008 by ZeeNusah

[lucyrich 20]

You can sometimes use a re-entry permit. You'd use form I-131 to apply for a re-entry permit, but the re-entry permit itself is not called an I-131.

Note that the typical use of a re-entry permit is to help with abandonment of status issues for lengthy trips abroad, but that's not the only reason to get one. See the instructions for the I-131. It says it may be used for those who cannot or do not wish to get a passport from their country of citizenship. But not all countries will accept the US-issued re-entry permit in lieu of a passport, so check with the embassy/consulate of the country or countries you'll be visiting.

[ivan drago 0]

Thanks lucyrich. According to instructions all re-entry permits are processed in Nebraska. I just checked the processing times and it doesnt look good--right now they're working on cases from summer 2007. I need to have a travel document sooner than that. Does anyone know how expedited processing works for this form?

[Ashish 1]

IMHO you should have a valid passport when travelling internationally. A re-entry permit might work when coming to the US but other countries will most probably not accept it.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

You can sometimes use a re-entry permit. You'd use form I-131 to apply for a re-entry permit, but the re-entry permit itself is not called an I-131.

Note that the typical use of a re-entry permit is to help with abandonment of status issues for lengthy trips abroad, but that's not the only reason to get one. See the instructions for the I-131. It says it may be used for those who cannot or do not wish to get a passport from their country of citizenship. But not all countries will accept the US-issued re-entry permit in lieu of a passport, so check with the embassy/consulate of the country or countries you'll be visiting.

Indeed, most countries will not allow you in unless you have a valid passport. So do check in advance and don't risk it. Good luck.

[Krikit 1,164]

If you go to the website of the country you are visiting it will tell you the legal documents you require to visit that country. For instance, Canada accepts the greencard. I will be travelling to Europe this summer and just received this information from the travel agent:

Remember, a passport must be valid 6 months from the last day of your travel.