Passport Expiry with Visa

[alannah_rose 39]

Hey everyone, i'm panicking a little bit here right now. 

 

I've just realized that my passport expires in April 2020. Most airlines won't let you travel if your passport has less than 6 months validity.. I will have 5 months when I leave on 15 October! Obviously, we didn't think the whole process would take this long, otherwise I would've renewed it ages ago!

 

I've already had my interview at the consulate so I've got my Visa in my current passport already, but I may need to get a new one, if Qantas won't let me travel - i'm waiting on a call back from them about it.

 

Has anyone got any idea what to do? I've emailed the Sydney Consulate but they will take a few days or week to get back to me.. I'm starting to panic!!

 

Help!!

[jojotica 39]

Just renew it and go with both: I travel with two passports as one has my unexpired visa.

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

14 minutes ago, alannah_rose said:

Hey everyone, i'm panicking a little bit here right now. 

 

I've just realized that my passport expires in April 2020. Most airlines won't let you travel if your passport has less than 6 months validity.. I will have 5 months when I leave on 15 October! Obviously, we didn't think the whole process would take this long, otherwise I would've renewed it ages ago!

 

I've already had my interview at the consulate so I've got my Visa in my current passport already, but I may need to get a new one, if Qantas won't let me travel - i'm waiting on a call back from them about it.

 

Has anyone got any idea what to do? I've emailed the Sydney Consulate but they will take a few days or week to get back to me.. I'm starting to panic!!

 

Help!!

I doubt Qantas would care too much given it’s an immigration visa attached to it... but might be worth renewing your passport before you leave as there aren’t too many Aussie consulates in the US for you to collect a renewed passport from once you live there... I’d check that the Ir visa carries over to new passport before doing so tho

[alannah_rose 39]

17 minutes ago, Duke & Marie said:

I doubt Qantas would care too much given it’s an immigration visa attached to it... but might be worth renewing your passport before you leave as there aren’t too many Aussie consulates in the US for you to collect a renewed passport from once you live there... I’d check that the Ir visa carries over to new passport before doing so tho

Thats what I'm hoping Qantas will say. It does say that the US usually accepts people travelling on less than 6 months validity but I just want to make sure 100% before I go to the airport and risk it!!

 

Thanks for your advice!

[Nicolerae 19]

Can you get it expedited? I know in the US if you pay for expedited it usually is very quick turn around. It would probably be worth the trouble to get it done before you go because I've also heard its much more expensive to renew your Aussie passport in the US. I believe they charge an extra $100 fee if not more just to do it in the US. Maybe you can contact the embassy to verify that it will be okay to use your older passport with the visa stamp in it. Let me know what you decide to do! We're just starting the K1 process and my partners passport expires in 2021 so might try to get him to renew his before his interview and things come up. 

[alannah_rose 39]

An update for everyone on what I ended up doing:

 

I contacted the Australian Consulate and they said I can carry my renewed passport with my old passport (with the visa in it) and show both of them.

 

I have 5 weeks till I leave Australia so decided to risk it and hope that it would be processed in time. I submitted my renewal last week (and paid the $293 for it) and got notification yesterday that it has been processed and is on my way to me! So in a week they had completed it!

 

I could’ve travelled on my passport, as Australia is one of the countries the US exempts from the 6 month rule, but after looking into the process of renewing my passport overseas, it was easier and cheaper to just do it now.

 

Should have my new passport next week!!