Ask the Consul: My passport expires in less than six months—can I still travel to the United States and is my U.S. visa still valid?

Answer: Thanks for your question. First, let’s talk about the passport issue. Many visitors traveling to the United States are required to have a passport that is valid for six months beyond the period of their intended stay in the United States. However, citizens of Israel are exempt from this rule and are only required to have a passport that is valid for their intended period of stay.

For a list of countries that are exempt from the six month requirement, visit the following link: http://cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel/inspections_carriers_facilities/clp/bulletins/clp_bullentin_04162008.ctt/clp_bulletin_04162008.pdf. Always remember to check the expiration date on your passport before you intend to travel so you have time to apply for a new passport if necessary.

Now about the visa question—is it still valid, even though it’s in an expired passport? Yes! A U.S. visa is valid until its expiration date, as long as it has not been revoked, cancelled, mutilated or damaged. All you must do is present both passports to the officer at the port of entry: both the expired passport with the visa, and your new, valid passport.

Applicants should be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. A visa only allows a foreign citizen to travel to a U.S. port of entry and request permission to enter. The decision whether or not to actually admit you is made by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at the port of entry.  These decisions are often based on information learned subsequent to the original visa application, e.g. staying beyond the authorized stay during a previous visit.

In advance of travel, prospective travelers should review important information about Admissions/Entry requirements. Visit the Customs and Border Protection website for more information: http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/.

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Ask the Consul is a regular feature on the Consular Round Up blog. Every few weeks, one of the Embassy's Consular Officers answers an interesting consular question we've received from one of our readers. Think you can stump us? To submit a question, leave a comment, post one on our Facebook wall or send us an email at NIVTelAviv@state.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!