What if my passport expires after my visa is issued?
Your visa usually stays valid but remains in the old passport, so you carry both documents. E-visas tied to the old passport number normally need reapplying.
Updated
The visa and the passport expire separately
These are two documents with two dates, and one expiring does not automatically cancel the other. A visa valid until 2028 in a passport that expires in 2027 generally remains a valid visa. The complication is practical rather than legal: the visa lives in a book you can no longer use as ID.
The standard solution is to carry both. You present the new passport as your identity document and the old one to show the valid visa. Both must be presented together at check-in and at the border.
Visas are rarely transferred
Most countries do not move a visa from one passport to another. There is no transfer service, and requesting one usually means submitting a fresh application. Some countries make exceptions for long-validity visas, so it is worth asking the issuing consulate rather than assuming.
Ask before your trip, not at the airport. Airline gate staff work from system rules and are not the people who can make a judgement call on this.
E-visas behave differently
An e-visa has no sticker. It exists as a record tied to your passport number, which means a new passport breaks the link. In most systems the e-visa stops being valid and you reapply with the new number.
The same applies to visa waivers. An ESTA approval is tied to the passport you registered, and a replacement passport requires a new application. ETIAS, the EU's version, is not running yet, but it is expected to work the same way once it starts.
Renewing before you travel
If your passport expires within six months of your trip, renew it well ahead and check whether that affects any visa you already hold. Confirm the rule with the consulate that issued the visa, since practice varies by country.
While the paperwork is in motion, keep your accommodation flexible. Filter for free-cancellation rates on trip1, which covers over 3 million hotels in 190+ countries and accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, and 120+ other cryptocurrencies via CoinGate.
Passport expiring after visa is issued - FAQ
Usually yes. A visa and a passport have separate expiry dates, so a visa stays valid until its own date even after the passport it sits in expires. The catch is practical: the old passport can no longer serve as ID, so you travel with both and show them together at check-in and at the border.
Yes. The State Department says you can travel with both passports if the visa is still valid, undamaged and the right type for your trip, and both passports are from the same country and of the same type. At the border, the officer checks the visa in the old passport and stamps your new one.
Rarely. Most countries have no transfer service, so you either carry both passports or apply for a new visa. Never peel a visa sticker off and put it in the new passport: the State Department warns that a US visa moved this way is no longer valid. Some countries make exceptions for long-validity visas, so ask the issuing consulate.
It usually stops working. An e-visa is a record tied to the passport number you applied with, so a new passport breaks the link and you normally reapply. The same goes for the US ESTA: US Customs and Border Protection says travellers with a new passport must submit a new ESTA application for it.
The validity rule applies to the passport you travel on. For a Schengen visa, that passport should be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area. US visitor visa holders need a passport valid 6 months beyond their stay unless their country is exempt. Many other countries ask for 6 months from arrival.