What to Do If Your Passport Expires While You're Abroad
You're mid-trip, or living overseas, and you notice your passport is about to expire — or already has. Don't panic. This is a common situation, and there's a clear way through it.
First: contact your embassy or consulate
Your own country's embassy or consulate is the only place that can renew or replace your passport while you're abroad. Most handle routine renewals for citizens living overseas, and many can issue an emergency travel document — a short-validity passport or one-way travel document — if you need to fly home urgently.
Check their website before you go in: there's usually an online form, a list of documents to bring and an appointment system.
Check your visa or permission to stay
Your passport and your right to be in the country are two different things. A visa or residence permit is often tied to your passport, and some countries expect you to hold a valid passport for your whole stay. Once you have a new passport, ask the local immigration authority whether you need to transfer your visa or register the new passport number.
What to have ready
- Your current or expired passport, and a copy of its photo page
- Passport photos in the size your embassy asks for
- Proof of where you're staying and, for urgent cases, your travel booking
- Your visa or residence permit, if you have one
Need photos fast? Our free passport photo resizer crops a phone photo to the right size and makes a print sheet.
Expect it to take time
Renewals from abroad are often slower than at home, because applications may be sent back to your home country for processing. If you have a trip coming up, tell the embassy — and ask whether an emergency document is an option.
How to avoid it next time
Set a reminder nine months before your passport expires. Remindon reads the date from a photo and reminds you in time — wherever in the world you are.
