Photo: Border Report

By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico announced on Friday, March 25, that, starting immediately, some U.S. citizens with expired passports will now be able to enter the United States using those passports.

According to the embassy announcement, U.S. citizens currently overseas with a passport expired on or after Jan. 1, 2020, are now be able to use that document  to return by air directly to the United States through June 30.

To qualify to travel by air on an expired U.S. passport, a citizen must fly directly to the United States, a United States territory or have only short-term transit (“connecting flight”) through a foreign country on their direct return to the United States or to a United States Territory.

Also, the expired passport must have been originally valid for 10 years, or, if the passport holder was 15 years of age or younger when the passport was issued, the expired passport must have been valid for five years.

By the same token, the expired U.S. passport must be undamaged, unaltered and physically in the citizen’s possession.

U.S citizens with expired passports are not eligible for air travel if they are planning to depart from the United States to an international destination or are currently abroad seeking to travel to a foreign country for any length of stay longer than an airport connection en route to the United States or to a United States territory.

Also exempt from travel are expired passports that were limited in validity, were special issuance passports (such as a diplomatic, official, service or no-fee regular passports), or were damaged or altered.

Citizens with U.S. passport expired on or before Dec. 31, 2019, or who wish to apply for a new passport, should contact the embassy website for information before traveling.

Eligible adults may be able to renew by mail.

Emergency temporary passports may be available in some cases for urgent travel.