The short answer
Check your passport against the destination’s official entry page well before you book, because rules about how long a passport must remain valid, and about blank pages, differ by country. Keep names and dates the same on your passport, tickets and stays. Carry documents in hand baggage, and keep copies in other places. If you need a new passport or a correction, start on the official passport service early.
Key terms in plain English
- Validity: the period for which your passport is valid. Destinations set their own rules about it, and the official entry page says what applies.
- Blank pages: space for stamps. Some destinations ask for some.
- Name match: the name on your ticket must be spelled the same as on your passport.
What to check on the passport
- The expiry date, against the destination’s official entry page.
- That the name is spelled the same everywhere you will use it.
- That it is undamaged and legible.
- That the photo page and the details are clear on a copy.
- Whether a stop on the way, even a transit, has its own rule.
What to carry
- Passport, with any visa or authorisation printed or saved offline
- Tickets and booking confirmations for flights and stays
- Travel cover certificate and the assistance number
- A card or two, and some local currency if you want it
- Contact details for family at home and the nearest Indian mission
Keep copies
Keep a copy of each document in your vault, and a printed set in a different bag. If something is lost, a copy speeds up every next step. The Indian missions abroad are listed on the Ministry of External Affairs site.
Checklist
- To do: Check the passport’s validity against the official entry page for every country
- To do: Check blank pages and condition
- To do: Check names match on passport, tickets and stays
- To do: Save copies of every document in your vault
- To do: Carry a printed set in a different bag
- To do: Note the nearest Indian mission’s details
- To do: Renew or correct the passport early if needed
Common mistakes
- Checking the expiry date only at the airport. Check before you book.
- Different spellings. A mismatch can cause trouble at check-in.
- One copy, one place. Keep copies separately.
- Forgetting transit stops. A change of planes can have its own rules.
- Leaving renewal until the last moment. Start on the official service early.
Things that change
Entry rules about passports, and the passport service’s own procedures, change. Check both for the date of your trip.
Verify before you act
Start with the destination’s entry page, such as Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor or Border information for visitors to Canada, and the official Passport Seva for renewals. For Indian missions abroad, see the Ministry of External Affairs.