Things You Will Need

  • Passport

  • Computer with Internet access

Checking your passport’s expiration date online is a simple process that requires few steps. However, there is more to passport expiration than just the expiration date listed on the passport. Each country has passport requirements of which you need to be aware before visiting that country. Start your search at the U.S. government's passport website for general passport information and extend the search from there. There are few things worse than having to cancel a trip because you have an invalid passport.

Inspect your passport to determine the year of issue. According to Travel State.gov, a passport is good for 15 years past the date of issue if you were older than 15 when the passport was issued. The passport is good for five years if you were younger than 15 when the passport was issued.

Check Travel State.gov for the expiration date of your passport by entering the year your passport was issued and how old you were at the time of issue. After entering these numbers, you can determine the exact expiration date of your passport.

Check the passport laws for the country you intend to visit. Some countries will not allow you to visit within six months of your passport expiration date. Brazil, Singapore, Ecuador, Indonesia, Romania, Israel, Paraguay and Malaysia will not allow passports within six months of expiring in their countries. Countries that will not allow people with passports within three months of expiring include Denmark and surrounding countries, Cambodia, Switzerland, Fiji and Greenland.

Update your passport if it is within nine months of expiring. Travel State.gov recommends updating your passport about nine months before your passport is due to expire to prevent possible difficulty at any border check.

Check your passport and the country you wish to visit for any other passport laws. Some countries in the Middle East will not allow visitors who have recently visited Israel, according to MSNBC.com. Other countries want you to have at least two blank pages in your passport. You can order additional passport pages from the official passport website of the U.S. government.