Questions and Answers

Hello, I am planning on flying down to Rio in a few weeks and just realized my US passport expires in less than 6 months — expires July 31st 2021. I also have a Brazilian Tourist Visa issued in 2018 that expires in 2028. I’m getting mixed info online and wanted to ask if anyone knew… do you think I would be okay to fly to Brazil on a US passport that expires in less than 6 months, or do you think I would be denied entry?

Thank you very much for your help!

Stephen

Hi Stephen – Brazil may or may not let you in. Where you might run into issues is with your carrier. The last time I dealt with this issue, the colleague I was traveling with ended up having to sign a waiver (a large one at that) on check-in that said roughly he understood that the destination country might not let him enter and that if, because of that, he needed to change his flights, the airline was not liable. On arrival, he had to also go through some additional administrative paperwork, though he was allowed to enter.

Hello,
As per Brazilian rules, your passport should be valid for 6 months past the date you are scheduled to leave Brazil. On this basis, most likely the airline will deny you at time of check-in. As at least for my airline, the system automatically checks for these things and you cannot bypass it. If you can, try to get an emergency passport issued. You should be able to do this by contacting your local passport office, and providing them with an upcoming air travel itinerary.
Good luck!

Most airlines will not let you get on the plane to another country without 6 months left on your passport as of the day you arrive. (I was told they incur a fee if they did) I had this happen in route to Norway recently and had to change my ticket to reflect an earlier date within the 6 month window to get onto the plane and then do an emergency renew of my passport at the American Embassy in Oslo once there. I changed my ticket back to the original travel date then. If you have time, pay to expedite your renewal before you go. It’s expensive and time consuming doing it the way I did.

Also, Brazil now allows visa free entry to US passport holders (and a few other countries), so no need to worry about that aspect.

Edit: just realizing I’m bumping a month old thread where op has probably already traveled :facepalm: