🛂 Travel & Immigration
How Long Are Passports Valid? US Rules by Age
Updated July 25, 2026
How long are passports good for? For US citizens, the answer depends on your age when the passport was issued: if you were 16 or older, your passport is valid for 10 years. If you were under 16, it is valid for only 5 years. The expiration date is printed on the data page, right under your photo — and it is the date most travelers never look at until an airline or border officer looks at it for them.
Those two numbers — 10 years for adults, 5 years for kids — cover the vast majority of cases. But there are situations where a passport effectively stops working before its printed date, and one famous rule that can make a technically valid passport useless for international travel. Here is the full picture.
The two validity periods: 10 years and 5 years
The US State Department issues passports with validity based on your age at issuance, not your age today. Apply at 16 or older and you get a 10-year passport. Apply for a child under 16 and the passport lasts 5 years — full stop, even if the child turns 16 the following week.
The shorter validity for minors exists because children change appearance dramatically, and because both parents or guardians generally must participate in a child passport application. There is no way to extend a child passport to 10 years; when it expires, the child applies again, and once they are 16, they finally get the 10-year version.
- Issued at age 16 or older: valid 10 years
- Issued under age 16: valid 5 years
- Validity is set by age at issuance — it never converts or extends mid-life
- The expiration date is printed on the passport data page
When a passport stops working before its printed date
The printed expiration date is not the only thing that can end a passport’s useful life. A significantly damaged passport — water damage, torn pages, a chip that no longer reads, unofficial markings — can be refused at borders and generally must be replaced before it expires. Normal wear from years in a drawer is fine; damage that affects the data page or the integrity of the book is not.
A legal name change works the same way in practice: if the name on your passport no longer matches the name on your tickets and other identification, you will want to update the passport even though it is technically still valid. The State Department has processes for name-change updates and replacements — the details and any costs are on travel.state.gov.
And then there is the six-month rule: many countries require your passport to be valid for six months beyond your travel dates before they will let you in. That means a 10-year passport is realistically a nine-and-a-half-year passport for international travel. If your expiration date is within a year, it is time to start the renewal conversation.
Why the 10-year cycle is so easy to lose track of
Ten years is longer than most people keep a phone number, an address, or a car. A passport issued when you were single can expire after you are married with two kids — and nothing in daily life ever surfaces the date. Unlike a driver’s license, no state agency mails you a renewal notice; the passport simply sits in a drawer, valid until suddenly it is not.
The classic failure mode: you book an international trip, and somewhere between booking and departure someone finally checks the passports. Renewal is straightforward when you have months of runway and stressful when you have weeks. The fix is trivial — put the expiration date somewhere that will actively remind you.
Set a reminder the day your passport arrives
The best moment to schedule your passport renewal is the day the new passport shows up in your mailbox. Note the expiration date, set a reminder about a year before it, and forget about it with a clear conscience — a cascade of nudges will reach you while renewal is still an errand, not an emergency.
If you have kids, set their reminders too, on the 5-year cycle — child passports expire twice as often and are forgotten just as reliably. One reminder per passport in the household, and the whole family clears the six-month rule on every trip.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a US passport valid for adults?
A US passport issued when you were 16 or older is valid for 10 years from its issue date. The expiration date is printed on the data page.
How long is a child’s passport valid?
A passport issued to a child under 16 is valid for 5 years. It cannot be extended; when it expires, the child applies again, and from age 16 onward they receive 10-year passports.
Can I travel internationally right up to my passport’s expiration date?
Often not. Many countries require your passport to be valid for six months beyond your travel dates, so a passport in its final months may be refused for entry even though it has not technically expired. Treat the last year of validity as renewal season.
Does a damaged passport still count as valid?
Not reliably. A passport with significant damage — water damage, torn or missing pages, alterations — can be refused by airlines and border officials and generally needs to be replaced even before its printed expiration date.
Official sources
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