Review expiration, name, blank-page, visa, and destination entry rules early in the planning process.
Check passport validity, exact traveler names, blank-page requirements, visas, and destination entry rules well before departure. Some destinations require validity beyond the return date.
One of the easiest passport problems to miss is the six-month rule: many countries require a passport to stay valid for at least six months past the return date, and airline check-in counters enforce it just as strictly as border agents do, even when the passport is not technically expired — a distinction the gate agent will not find nearly as interesting as you do. If international travel is likely, checking validity when you're within about a year of expiration gives you plenty of room to renew before the rule becomes a problem.
Processing time is the other piece to plan around. As of 2026, routine passport renewal runs four to six weeks and expedited service runs two to three weeks, and that window only counts time at a passport agency — the State Department says to plan for up to two additional weeks for your application to arrive, and up to two more weeks for the finished passport to reach you afterward. A trip booked eight weeks out is not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to start today, before "next month" turns into a very specific kind of regret.
Rules can change, so confirm them through official government and destination sources rather than relying on a screenshot from someone's cousin.
