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UK passport validity rules by country

How much validity your UK passport needs, country by country — and which ones really need six months.

How much validity do you need?

It depends where you're going, and whether the rule is counted from the day you arrive or the day you leave. This table covers our 46 most-searched destinations — tap any for an exact yes/no for your dates.

Which countries need 6 months' validity?

These commonly need around six months left on the day you travel: China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam.

Many others — including the whole Schengen area — do not. Don't assume the six-month rule; here's how it actually works.

CountryPassport must stay validIssued within
AustraliaWhole of your stay—
Austria3 months after you leave10 years
Belgium3 months after you leave10 years
CanadaWhole of your stay—
China6 months after you arrive—
Croatia3 months after you leave10 years
Cyprus3 months after you leave10 years
Czechia3 months after you leave10 years
Denmark3 months after you leave10 years
Dominican RepublicWhole of your stay—
Egypt6 months after you arrive—
Finland3 months after you leave10 years
France3 months after you leave10 years
Germany3 months after you leave10 years
Greece3 months after you leave10 years
Hungary3 months after you leave10 years
Iceland3 months after you leave10 years
India6 months after you arrive—
Indonesia6 months after you arrive—
IrelandWhole of your stay—
Italy3 months after you leave10 years
JamaicaWhole of your stay—
JapanWhole of your stay—
Luxembourg3 months after you leave10 years
Malaysia6 months after you arrive—
Maldives1 month after you arrive—
Malta3 months after you leave10 years
MauritiusWhole of your stay—
MexicoWhole of your stay—
Morocco3 months after you arrive—
Netherlands3 months after you leave10 years
Norway3 months after you leave10 years
Poland3 months after you leave10 years
Portugal3 months after you leave10 years
Singapore6 months after you arrive—
South Africa30 days after you leave—
Spain3 months after you leave10 years
Sri Lanka6 months after you arrive—
Sweden3 months after you leave10 years
Switzerland3 months after you leave10 years
Thailand6 months after you arrive—
TunisiaWhole of your stay—
Turkey150 days after you leave—
United Arab Emirates6 months after you arrive—
United StatesWhole of your stay—
Vietnam6 months after you arrive—

Rules sourced from gov.uk. Always confirm before you travel.

Not official advice. Entry rules change and this tool may be out of date or wrong. Always confirm on gov.uk and with your airline before you travel. We accept no responsibility for any loss arising from incorrect or outdated information.

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