Quick answer
Short answer
Renew nine to twelve months before your passport expires. Many destinations require at least six months of remaining validity at entry, and airlines enforce it at check-in.
The six-month rule
A passport that expires next month is effectively already unusable for much of the world. Treat six months of validity as your real expiration date.
Build in margin
Processing times move. Renewing early costs nothing extra and removes the entire category of risk.
XpressPass is a private passport assistance service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the U.S. Department of State or any other government agency. Government passport fees are separate from XpressPass service fees. Passport issuance decisions are made solely by the U.S. government.