It's back to traveling, passport check-up to avoid nasty surprises

Two years of closed borders and a ban on nonessential travel are now behind us, every day a new government announces removal of restrictions And soon we will also be able to take off our masks aboard planes.

Compared to the pre-Covid world, the Brexit has been completed and now to fly into the United Kingdom it is necessary to have a passport.  And it is precisely on the document that allows worldwide travel that we want to focus our article today, giving you a list of all the checks that need to be done, once we have decided where we are going.

It is not only the expiration date of the passport that matters, but also how many free pages there are and other small details that can ruin, even before you start, your vacation.

The six-month residual rule

Passport lasts for 10 years, but in fact it is not true. A great many countries require the traveler to Have at least 6 months remaining validity in order to obtain the visa, either the visa on arrival or the traditional visa to be applied for at the consulate or embassy.

The six-month rule does not apply, for example, if one travels to the U.S., for border personnel in the U.S. the important thing is that the document is still valid and has not expired, but this is more unique than rare. Thailand, to give an example of a popular destination, requires 6 months validity upon entry into the nation.

One should always inform oneself properly before leaving so as not to run into any nasty surprises when going through airport security. Here are some examples of Countries requiring extended passport duration:

Validity of 3 months

• Korea
• New Zealand

Validity of 6 months

• Antigua
• Argentina
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Egypt
• Russia
• Jamaica
• India
• Israel
• Singapore
• Taiwan
• Thailand

At least two blank pages

There is a second very important rule that many people do not know and that is the rule of free pages. The Italian passport consists of 48 pages. From page 7 to 45 are spaces for visas and stamps.

Although some nations are eliminating the custom of stamping passports, for example in my last travel to Singapore and in Canada I did not receive any stamps, all other destinations stamp your passport at least once upon entry, and many do so twice: both when entering and leaving the country.

Then there are nations that require a visa that, in addition to the stamp, also requires the travel permit to be placed directly on the traveler's document thus taking up even more space. What is important to know is that many countries require that the traveler have, on his or her travel document, at least two pages.

Although the visa is normally a sticker that is attached to the passport, Will not be affixed to an already stamped page.

The two-page rule is very sneaky because it is not specified whether the two pages must be consecutive or can also be "scattered" in the passport, my advice is: if you find yourself in this situation, start considering applying for a new document.

No visa, remember the E-Visa

Many nations have adopted electronic visas, the most famous being ESTA to visit the United States, similar solution was recently introduced, for example, by South Korea. It is good to remember that these authorizations have an expiration date, and in the case of the Esta for the U.S. it is advisable to update it according to the destination in entries after the first one. Above all, it is good to keep in mind that they are tied to the passport, so if for some reason the document has changed from when it was obtained, a new application must be redone from scratch.