Could You be Eligible to Use Your Expired Passport?

U.S. citizens are required to enter and exit the United States using a U.S. passport. If you are overseas and your U.S. passport expired on or after January 1, 2020, you may be able to use your expired passport to return directly to the United States until December 31, 2021.

You qualify for this exception if all the following are true:

• You are a U.S. citizen.
• You are currently abroad seeking direct return to the United States.
• You are flying directly to the United States, a United States territory, or have only short-term transit (“connecting flights”) through a foreign country on your direct return to the United States or to a United States Territory.
• Your expired passport was originally valid for 10 years. Or, if you were 15 years of age or younger when the passport was issued, your expired passport was valid for 5 years.
• Your expired passport is undamaged.
• Your expired passport is unaltered.
• Your expired passport is in your possession.

You do not qualify for this exception if:

• You wish to depart from the United States to an international destination.
• You are currently abroad seeking to travel to a foreign country for any length of stay longer than an airport connection en route to the United States or to a United States territory.
• Your expired passport was limited in validity.
• Your expired passport is a special issuance passport (such as a diplomatic, official, service, or no-fee regular passport).
• Your expired passport is damaged.
• Your expired passport is altered.
• Your expired passport is not in your possession.

All other passport rules and regulations remain in effect. The Department of Homeland Security maintains discretion to reject any bearer in accordance with 22 CFR 53.2(b)(7) and 8 CFR 235.1(b)

All travelers from the United Kingdom to the United States must provide a negative COVID19 test result. For more information please see CDC’s website.

Emergency procedures and travel restrictions may change rapidly due to the impact of COVID-19. If you are in the United States or another country and your U.S. passport has expired or is due to expire, you should renew your passport before you travel to the United Kingdom.

Visit the UK government’s website for important information about international travel from the UK. This includes guidance information for foreign nationals wishing to return home, and information about holiday (vacation) travel for foreign nationals living in the UK.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, the U.S. Embassy in London is offering limited passport and citizenship services. The Consulates in Belfast and Edinburgh continue to offer emergency appointment services only.

To read the full information on this topic, visit the uk.usembassy.gov website.

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