Passport Question

I have a question that perhaps someone can help me with. We are heading to Croatia in June for a sailing trip, followed by a few nights in Madrid on our way back. Our exact flight itinerary is US>Canada>Germany>Croatia. Then after Croatia we have a direct flight to Madrid. Then Madrid>Canada>US. We will not be leaving the airport during any of the layovers and only spending time in Croatia and Madrid so I don't think our layovers in Canada or Germany really matter.

My concern is that my daughter's passport is set to expire 4 months after we return. I've checked each country we are going to be in (including Canada and Germany) and they all only seem to have a 3 month requirement for passports. That said, on the US travel.gov website I see it recommended to have 6 months remaining on a passport for any of those countries. I think it's a bit late in the game to try to renew her passport through the regular methods as processing times seem drawn out and unpredictable right now. We could go to a passport center but it's a four hour drive each way to the nearest one. Should I worry about trying to renew her passport or not sweat it?

Search expedited passport. There are a few options that might get it done. I hate stress so l would get it renewed. It’s a renewal so should be easy.

To me, that is WAY too many jurisdictions to deal with in a short period of time, to leave it to chance. I would try for the expedited passport also.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I have the renewal form all filled out and we are going to go get passport pictures today. I'm also going to renew for my other daughter while I'm at it. She sent her passport through the laundry and while it's probably still ok, the edges are frayed and I might as well be safe. Will use expedited service and two day delivery on both of them.

OK, good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

From my experience, countries usually require a minimum of 3-6 months validity on passports, so you should be good to go. Plus, you won't even leave the airports during your layovers in Canada and Germany, so I don't think they will ask for your daughter's passport. If you're really concerned about it, you can try to expedite the renewal process, but I understand if it's too much of a hassle. Just make sure you have all the necessary documents with you, including a copy of your daughter's birth certificate, just in case. By the way, I work in a bar that requires us to check every customer's ID before serving them any alcohol.