It’s a standard policy for many countries though whether or not it’s enforced is typically left to the descretion of the individual immigration officer.
 
I personally wouldn’t expect much of an issue in the countries you mention though at the same time I wouldn’t stake putting my trip on the line for such a trivial detail. If you’re leaving in April then two months should be more than plenty to get a passport renewed, why even chance it?
 
 

BTW, I just noticed from one of your other posts that you’re potentially planning on starting in Dublin…
 
Out of all the countries I’ve been to the immigration officer I was “blessed” with at the Dublin airport happened to the only one I’ve ever run into any sort of issues with. Although I had absolutely no reason to have my tourism visa restricted he decided to limit me to only 7 days (I had a valid passport, documentation showing my departure out of the country in 10 days, and a wedding invitation to which I was to attend in the country).
 
Perhaps the guy was just having a bad day and wanted to take a bit out on me? Who knows, but my&nbspoint is you’ll never know who you’ll get on the immigration side and quite frankly it’s their decision on whether or not you’re let in and for how long — anything going against their policies just adds more fuel to the fire.

You face at least 2 hurdles:

1. The airline is not supposed to issue boarding cards if your passport’s validity is insufficient for the destination you’ve chosen.
2. Once arrived… see AgentCooper’s explanations.

Check here for a summary of the exact requirements:
www.delta.com/planni…

After your initial entry to an EU Country you should be able to put away your (U.S.?) Passport until you show up for your return flight.   So, save all your smiles and assurances for Passport Control at your Europe Port of Entry. 

I often fly through Dublin to see friends/relatives, and then on to other destinations within Europe, and I’m ALWAYS asked about duration of stay, and “A couple of days” isn’t a good enough answer, so I don’t think that the immigration officer you’d encountered was singling you out—- it seems to be policy!

Since UK is not part of the Schengen Agreement border zone, one must show passport between UK and Schengen—on flights at least.

In theory, nationals of Schengen agreement border countries should not have to show passport for travel if all travel will originate, connect (if applicable), and terminate within the SABZ… however, each country reserves the right to require passports at any time.

I encountered similar questioning in Ireland and the UK in recent years. You have to have a solid plan for being there the entire duration, with proof if questioned further. This is good practice for any foreign country that anyone plans to visit.

Thanks to all for replying.
 
My passport expires Jan09 and I plan on flying out of Italy at the start of June. Should be fine right? I’m coming out of Canada (don’t know if that matters). Basicly I need to have a plan on how long I’m staying in each country?
 
One more question, I see a lot of people saying you need proof of funds… what would suffice as proof? Bank statement?

You have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Bank statement will do. In addition you are supposed to have medical insurance, and it does not hurt to have a proof of that. But a chance of you being asked to show either of two is very low. Each immigration officer must process hundreds of visitors (many of whom are tired and irritated by long flights and/or don’t speak neither English nor local language) daily and do that very quickly. It helps everyone if you have ready answers to the questions:
– where you going?
– what’s the purpose of your trip?
– where are you staying?
– when are you leaving (Schengen area or the country you are entering, e.g. Ireland)?

Why are you going to stress yourself out?  Can’t you just re-new your passport.  I did it in the US once for an extra charge and got it in less than a week. Well worth it.

 
I’ve been pretty lucky I suppose; I haven’t had anyone give me too hard of a time. If anything, they’ve been too ambivalent; I actually got detained when trying to walk into Poland when they checked my passport and noticed that the garcon at CDG never stamped my passport! So you know… make sure they do that []

hi all,

i have a similar problem but just to avoid repeating topics im posting it here.

im having a year off after high school and currently in dublin. im registered with the irish immigration. i have dual citizenships in canada and hong kong (both passports). however my canadian passport is expiring in december 08 and it is the passport i entered ireland with. my hong kong passport will expire in june 2012 though.

im planning on travelling europe in summer (netherlands, belgium, frace, switzerland, italy, austria, czech, germany, spain, portugal and greece) and just wondering if it would be a good idea to use my hong kong passport straight up instead of risking it with the canadian one. if the immigration officer said no to the canadian one, can i just pull out the hong kong passport instead??

thanks in advance

Your Hong Kong passport won’t have proof of entry, but if you present if with your Canadian passport (stamped at entry, right?!) and your stay has been entirely legal (not overstayed your entry limit) then maybe the 2 passports together would suffice; it seems logical, but I am not an expert on border control laws. Maybe phone or email Irish immigration service for advice on what to do—email probably better, because then you have it in writing to take with you.

Amazing stuff. I was going the other way in /june. (To USA for a family wedding) and my passport expires in August 08. The way I see it, it’s either in force or it’s not. Provided you are not staying beyond the expiry date that should be the end of it. I’m glad to report that the US immigration people saw things the same way and gave me no hassle whatsoever. I’m planning a short trip to Eastern Europe in early August. Hmmm. i think I’ll renew before I go!

first of all hello to everyone. i think i’ve post this message in the guest book o well. i’m of to new york in feb, can anyone let me know how long i need to have on my passport when i arrive and when i leave. thanks james.

Does anyone know the process for renewing a US Passport in a foreign country. I have been abroad for the ten years my passport was good for. I’m currently in Asia and certainly don’t want to have to run home to renew. I imagine it can be done through an embassy, but if anyone has any personal experience in this field, it would be helpful. Thanks.

You should be able to accomplish the whole thing by mail if:

from
http://travel.state….

Thanks for the comment, but apparently that’s not true if you are living outside the US. Seems it must all be done at the embassy. Thanks, anyway.