En esta noticia
The relevance of the passport when traveling is something many countries around the world share. However, specifically in the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may reject any of these documents that do not meet the conditions required to board.
Mainly, to be allowed to board, the passport must be considered valid. To do this, it must meet certain requirements such as not being expired and not being in poor physical condition, since this can cause problems when traveling.
The United States blocks the departure or entry of foreigners and citizens unless they present one of these documents
The current rules in the United States establish that a valid document must be presented in order to enter or leave the country, and in the case of naturalized citizens, they must present a U.S. passport even if they have another country of origin.
This document must be in good condition. Those who have passports with these details will not be able to use them for international travel:
- Severe damage
- Large stains
- Serious tears
Those issued to children under 16 years old will also not be accepted, even if they have not yet expired, if the person is already older.
Mandatory renewal: important information many overlook
In the United States, the U.S. passport is valid for 10 years. At the same time, some airlines or countries may not allow boarding if the document has less than 6 months of validity remaining. In the case of those issued to children under 16 years old, they cannot be renewed and have a validity period of 5 years.
Those who need to renew their passports are advised to do the process in advance, since otherwise they could face difficulties when traveling: once the renewal process begins, the old passport loses validity.
Step by step to apply for a new passport
If you need to apply for a new passport because yours is no longer eligible for renewal, follow these steps:
- Complete form DS-11 for new passport applications
- Appear in person at an authorized office (it can be a passport agency or an authorized office) since the online process is not available for new passports
- Gather the required documentation, which may include original proof of citizenship, a valid photo ID, and a photocopy of that document
- Pay the processing fee, depending on the type of passport and service
- Wait for the delivery times and do not complete the process at the last minute