Your corporate client has just assumed a top leadership role and needs to travel overseas immediately. Or your leisure client has been saving for years, and you planned their dream vacation. Not being too worried about passports, your client has one from a few years ago for a trip to the Caribbean and her husband has had one buried in the drawer for years. In any case, they know their passports don’t expire until after the trip. So all is well, right? Not necessarily!
1. Passport Validity. Even if you don’t need a visa for entry, some countries will not admit you if your passport expires less than six months from the time you plan to leave the country. If your client shows up at the airport with a soon-to-expire passport, he could be denied boarding. USA passports can be renewed prior to expiry, so make sure you know exactly when your travelers’ passports expire and the rules for the countries they will visit.
2. Check for Visas (obvious). What if your client’s business trip or dream vacation includes Russia or Brazil? For a Russian tourist visa, you must have the visa invitation information or obtain it from your inviting organization in order to complete the application form. For business travelers, they also need to furnish an invitation from Russia. Passport and visa services will assist you in obtaining the visa, and some also assist with the Russian tourist voucher and invitation and official business invitation. If your client has traveled to certain countries, he or she may have a valid visa already. Some visas are multiple entry, good for 6 months, 1 year, etc. Your visa vendor may have a record of its validity period and the type of visa granted.
3. Check for Visas (maybe not so obvious). In order to disembark from cruise ships docking at foreign ports, a valid visa may be required. Some countries allow entrance when the travelers stay with a land tour group, but if the passengers want to explore on their own, visas maybe required. Check with your cruise company or visa service.
4. Passport Pages. If your traveler doesn’t have enough blank pages to have the passport stamped, the visa may not be granted, or he or she will not be allowed to travel. Some countries have visa stamps that take up an entire page – or require two blank pages, adjacent to each other. The Amendment pages at the back of the passport cannot be used for visas or immigration stamps.
5. Damaged Passports. Check the level of damage the passport sustained while hidden in the drawer or far-reaching corners of the garage. Passengers may not be allowed to travel with a damaged passport. Even if the damage seems minor – such as a small coffee spill – and all the information is legible, it’s best to replace the old passport with a new one.
Don’t let the little things get in your way of your client’s critical business meeting or long overdue dream vacation. By following a few simple steps, you can rest assured that their travel plans will be accomplished without mental anguish or major delays.
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Gwen Kuebler, CTC, has worked in travel all of her adult life, beginning as travel manager with a nonprofit organization who sent workers to Africa and South America. Serving in a mid-sized travel agency, her various managerial positions included marketing, sales, operations and account management. She is currently employed at Travisa Passport and Visa Service in New York City, where she serves as account manager. Gwen earned her Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) certification and has been a member of The Travel Institute since 1993.
