Americans overseas will be allowed to travel back to the U.S. using a recently expired passport, the U.S. State Department announced Monday night, though travelers must meet certain conditions.
U.S. citizens who are currently overseas and whose passports expired on or after Jan. 1, 2020, can use those passports for direct return travel to the U.S. till Dec. 31.
Customs and Border Protection officers will accept certain expired U.S. passports for those reentering the nation. Travelers must meet certain criteria, including that they’re flying directly to the U.S. (airport connections by foreign nations will be allowed), their passport must have been originally valid for 10 years (or 5 years if they were a child when it was issued). The expired passport must be undamaged, unaltered and within the traveler’s possession.
The move is “to alleviate travel difficulties and unprecedented appointment backlogs created by the global COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the State Department announcement.
Overseas Americans can’t travel with expired passports to other international destinations, and the passport aid won’t assist Europe-bound vacationers in the United States. Many travelers hoping to visit Europe this summer have been stymied by passport backlogs.
The State Department continues to advise against travel abroad and said last month that the pandemic continues to pose “unprecedented risks” to travelers: “In light of these risks, the Department of State strongly recommends U.S. citizens reconsider all travel abroad.”
All air passengers ages 2 and older must present a negative coronavirus test taken no more than three days before a flight to the U.S. or proof they recovered from the virus within the previous three months.
