International travel documents — passports, visas, ETIAS, and REAL ID

Portugal will turn you away at check-in if your passport expires within six months of your travel dates. So will most of Europe and most of Asia. Same for most of the Middle East. The gate agent at ATL knows the rule and won't let you board a Delta flight to Lisbon on an A330-900, no matter how many SkyMiles you paid or how nonrefundable the hotel is.

Most callers to our helpline don't know that piece until we walk through it. So we'll walk through it here too, along with everything else a US traveler needs before an international flight.

The six-month passport rule

Your US passport is technically valid until the date printed on it. Most countries treat it as expired six months before that date. Book a trip that lands you in Rome, Bangkok, or Cape Town within six months of your passport's expiration and you can be denied boarding at check-in, before you ever leave the US.

Canada, Mexico, and a short list of others let you enter on a passport valid through the day of return. Everywhere else, assume six months, counted from the day you fly home.

We hear the same story a lot on the helpline. Someone books an anniversary trip in April for October travel, the passport shows a December expiration, they figure they're fine because it hasn't expired yet. The airline computer disagrees at the check-in kiosk in ATL, and by then there aren't many good options.

Renew before you book anything international if you're inside that window.

Renewing a US passport

Routine renewal runs 6 to 8 weeks as of writing, though State Department times drift. Expedited runs 2 to 3 weeks and adds around $60. Same-day service exists only at the 26 regional passport agencies, and only if you can prove imminent international travel (within 14 days) with a printed itinerary.

A few things worth knowing:

• Adult passports are valid for 10 years. Passports for anyone under 16 are valid for only 5.
• Kids under 16 must appear in person to renew, with both parents present or documented consent from an absent parent.
• A passport card is cheaper and easier to carry, but it only works for land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It's useless for any flight leaving the country.

If you're within six months of expiration, don't wait to see what happens. Passport processing runs slower every summer, and expedited isn't guaranteed to hit its window.

REAL ID at the airport

TSA started enforcing REAL ID at airport checkpoints on May 7, 2025. If your state driver's license has a small star in the upper right corner, you're set for domestic flights and for entering federal buildings. If it doesn't, you need to show TSA an alternate ID: a US passport, a passport card, a military ID, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck card, a permanent resident card, or one of the others on the TSA-acceptable list.

Enhanced driver's licenses from Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington also count.

We still take calls the night before a flight from people whose old license won't clear TSA. If yours doesn't have the star, book the DMV appointment now, or grab a passport card as a domestic backup: cheaper than a full book, lasts 10 years, and works at MSP or SEA the same as at LAX.

ETIAS for Europe

ETIAS is the EU's new online travel authorization for visa-exempt visitors, including US and UK passport holders. It applies to 30 European countries covering most of the Schengen area, costs €7, and is valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. You apply online, upload a photo, answer some screening questions, and in most cases get approved within minutes.

Enforcement keeps getting pushed, though. As of writing, the launch has been moved to late 2026, and it's already been delayed several times. Before you book a European trip, check the current status directly on europa.eu. Don't trust a travel blog from last year, or the guy at check-in who says something offhand about it.

UK ETA

The UK's Electronic Travel Authorisation has been required for US citizens since January 2025. It's £10, valid for two years or until your passport expires. You apply through the UK Home Office ETA app on your phone, upload a photo of your passport bio page and a selfie, and most approvals come through within minutes to a few hours. The government still says to allow at least three business days.

Get it before you book if you can, before you fly at the very least. A US passport alone will not board you a flight to LHR anymore.

Visa-required destinations for US passport holders

For a US passport, the list of destinations still requiring a proper visa is smaller than it used to be, but it's not zero:

• China: tourist visa, in person or by mail at a consulate.
• India: e-visa online, straightforward but not instant.
• Russia: visa required, with extra documentation.
• Vietnam: e-visa online or visa on arrival at select airports.
• Brazil: reintroduced an electronic visa for US visitors.
• Saudi Arabia: e-visa online.

Countries with quick electronic authorizations (not full visas, but you can't just show up either) include:

• Australia: ETA, done through the app or a travel agent.
• New Zealand: NZeTA, done online, and there's also an International Visitor Levy.
• Canada: eTA if you're flying in. Not needed if you're driving across.

Most of these can be done in an evening on your laptop. A few can't. Check the timeline the moment you start looking at flights, not the week before you leave.

Where to check for definitive information

Two sources actually matter.

The first is travel.state.gov. The State Department maintains a page for every country with entry rules, current advisories, embassy contacts, and what to do if your passport is stolen abroad. When we're on a call and there's uncertainty, this is where we go.

The second is the destination country's own embassy or consulate website. Sometimes their rules and the State Department's summary don't quite match. The embassy is authoritative.

Travel forums, TikTok, and the guy at the airport bar are not. We spend a fair number of calls untangling something someone read on Reddit last year.

If your passport is expiring soon

Don't book the trip yet. Renew first. Airlines will deny boarding at check-in for the six-month rule, and they don't refund non-refundable fares because of it. Your travel insurance may not cover it either, since the denial is considered avoidable by planning.

If you've already booked and just realized the timing is bad, that's when expedited service or a passport agency same-day appointment starts making sense. Call your local agency directly. Their availability changes daily, and a slot that shows unavailable at 8am might open by lunch when someone cancels.

One other thing before you leave: two blank pages in your passport. Some countries want stamps on facing pages and will turn you away at immigration. This one catches frequent flyers.

This guide is written by Travel Support, an independent third-party helpline. We are not affiliated with Delta Air Lines. Policies and rules described are subject to change; consult delta.com and official government sources for definitive information.