Passports

I have friends traveling to SXM for the first time September 23 - 30. Their passports expire on October 25 should they be concerned?

If your friend holds a valid US passport he or she is taking it down to the wire - okay as long as he or she returns to the US on or before the passport expires - may be best to re-new now - you never know if there is some major delay or illness or what that might cause the passport to expire.
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Passport

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travel information

Sint Maarten

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French West Indies is 6 months from expiry - St. Barths

Anguilla is valid for duration of stay - according to the US State Dept.

If it was me, I wouldn't worry about the expiration date for this trip since the stay is a week and they would be home well before the expiration date, but as soon as I got home I'd make sure I renewed almost immediately. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

I guess SXM does not enforce the 6 month rule, which is applied to many Caribbean islands

Not sure if Saba or Anquilla enforces it if they want to do an excursion to those islands while on SXM.

my understanding of BVI it's the officer's discretion. Personally I would want my passport to be valid at least 6 months after the trip.

Sorry, not sure what BVI has to do with SXM. Regardless, the rule for ST. Maarten is that the passport just has to be valid for the length of the visit. If you want to visit other islands, like St. Barts, Anguilla, etc, the rules may well be different.

This is what I found when I did some searching. Which is the same for the Netherlands.

[color:"blue"]U.S. citizens do not require a Tourist Visa to enter St. Martin (St. Maarten). However, a U.S. passport is required:

Your U.S. passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months from the date you plan to depart St. Martin (St. Maarten).

Your passport must have adequate unused visa pages to allow for entry and exit stamps upon arrival and departure from St. Martin (St. Maarten). Please note that Amendment pages in the back of your passport are not to be used for entry and exit stamps or visa issuance.[/color]

Please see my earlier post. For travel to SXM A US passport must be valid for the duration of the stay, there is no 6 month requirement.

Sint Maarten does not have a 6 month validity rule, passports just have to be valid for the duration of the stay. St. Martin does have a 6 month validity rule, so if one plans on taking the ferry to Anguilla (which also has a 6 month validity rule), your passport will need to be valid for 6 months beyond the stay.

Sorry for the confusion...

If that is what the govt. says it must be right... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

Unless the rules have changed in the last year, you only need a valid passport during your stay. I know this for a fact as we traveled to SXM July 2016 with passports that expired Aug 15 2016. We did renew as soon as we were home.

That's okay - The Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles have different rules.

More information here

Tom--no, what you found is for ST. MARTIN (the FRENCH side). Since almost no one from the US or Canada enters the French side airport, that is irrelevant, UNLESS you are visiting a different island after you arrive. If you plan on going to Anguilla, St. Barts, wherever, by plane or boat after you arrive, your passport should be valid for 6 months. Otherwise, no.

Carol, it was just a point of reference that customs officers sometimes take the rules into their own hands. Maybe they want a side trip to St. Barts? My point if you are going to renew anyway, why wait

If you had read my responses in the thread, I said that if the person was going to any other island, then the rules may well be different..

Good God ---Unless they are planning to die right after the trip to SXM renew the passport and then there is no need to worry about 6 month rules.

I totally agree! &#128077;

Anyone have any idea how long to receive renewals lately? We mailed our renewal apps Friday the 25th, and did not "EXPEDITE". Don't need it until Feb 2018- Just wondering when to start looking for it.

I think you would have it by the end of September.

I think most are running 2-3 weeks. I am due for a renewal early next year so I will find out myself but even the last renewal was much faster than I anticipated.

Thanks. Will post a reply when I get mine in.

Back in May, I mailed my renewal application on a Friday and got it back the following Tuesday - 11 Days or really 7 Working Days. I live in the DC area, but it was processed in Philly.

My old passport was not returned until a week after that.

Will be curious how fast it does come back.

When we renewed ours last year about this time. It took us just about three weeks for the actual passports and a little longer for the old cancelled ones to arrive. We went into JFK on a Wednesday morning for our GE interviews and came back and renewed our passports at our local post office before we got home the same day.

By the time we actually got home that afternoon our GE numbers were in our emails. Had I known, I would have waited a day to renew the passports but no big deal either way and a simple fix to add the new passport numbers to GE. Sometimes you have to strike while the iron is hot. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Just renewed ours - one came back in 10 days & the second one took about 14 days. Both mailed at the same time.

I just renewed my passport recently. It took about 3 weeks and I still have not received my old passport. I received my passport about 1 month ago.

We just renewed this month and had the new passports in 10 days. Used expedited service.

Renewed earlier this year using expidited service. Mailed application on a Monday, received new passport the following Tuesday. Received our old passports back on Thursday. All very quick.

Last year we had ours back in 10 or 12 days, I cant remember exactly, without expediting.