Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
International

US allows Americans with expired passports to return home

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 26 May, 2021 03:24 PM
  • US allows Americans with expired passports to return home

The Biden administration says many American citizens holding recently expired U.S. passports will be allowed to return home from abroad on that document until the end of year.

Citing delays in passport renewals caused by the coronavirus pandemic , the State Department said certain passports that expired on or after Jan. 1, 2020, will be honored for reentry into the United States until Dec. 31, 2021. That’s because the pandemic forced the department and most embassies and consulates to close down or significantly reduce passport services.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will accept for admission certain expired U.S. passports, thereby assisting U.S. citizens who have been affected by appointment backlogs at embassies and consulates overseas caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the department said in a notice issued late Monday.

The closures resulted in waiting times of more than two months in some cases for processing passport renewals, and a significant backlog of applications remains. The department cautioned, though, that recently expired passports aren't valid for international travel from the United States or for travel between third countries that is not directly linked to return travel to the U.S.

“Recently expired passports cannot be used to travel from the United States to an international destination or 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,” the department said.

It added that not all expired passports will be eligible for the waiver and urged Americans to check their status online at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/covid-19-information.html before finalizing travel arrangements.

Among the requirements are that the expired passport was originally valid for 10 years, that the passport has not been damaged or altered, and that the traveler has physical possession of it.

___

This story was first published on May 25, 2021. It was updated on May 26, 2021, to correct the earliest passport expiration date that the State Department will honor for reentry into the United States. Americans whose passports expired on or after Jan. 1, 2020 — not Jan 1, 2021 — can use the document to return to the United States until Dec. 31, 2021.

MORE International ARTICLES

Indian Expat Falls Asleep At Dubai Airport, Now Stranded

A United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Indian expat was now stranded at the Dubai airport after he fell asleep while waiting for his flight back home, a media report said.

Indian Expat Falls Asleep At Dubai Airport, Now Stranded

Biden Campaign Names Indian-American Vivek Murthy To Covid-19 Advisory Panel

"The campaign's top priority is and will continue to be the health and safety of the public," it added.

Biden Campaign Names Indian-American Vivek Murthy To Covid-19 Advisory Panel

Trump's Impatience With Coronavirus Measures Continues To Escalate

Trump's Impatience With Coronavirus Measures Continues To Escalate
WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is braced for the possibility that the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States could get significantly worse, but he says the current travel restrictions at the border will suffice — for now.    

Trump's Impatience With Coronavirus Measures Continues To Escalate

Consider Exemptions To Travel Restrictions, Border-state Senators Urge Trump

Consider Exemptions To Travel Restrictions, Border-state Senators Urge Trump
New York senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, released a letter Monday urging the White House to bear in mind the importance of bilateral travel to businesses, families and communities located near the Canada-U.S. border.

Consider Exemptions To Travel Restrictions, Border-state Senators Urge Trump

US Approves Anti-Malaria Drug For COVID-19, Says It Could Be Gamechanger

Trump said the drug could prove to be a "gamechanger" and if it is not, the downside risks are likely to be low.

US Approves Anti-Malaria Drug For COVID-19, Says It Could Be Gamechanger

London Store Employees Push Out Elderly Sikh Customer Amid Coronavirus Panic-Buying

Employees at a London store lashed out at an elderly Sikh customer before pushing him out as coronavirus panic-buying chaos gripped supermarkets across the country, a media report said on Thursday.

London Store Employees Push Out Elderly Sikh Customer Amid Coronavirus Panic-Buying