The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City announced on December 30, 2021 that U.S. citizens may be able to travel to the United States on expired U.S. passports. The full message from the Embassy is copied below.
Message to U.S. Citizens: Travel to the United States on Expired U.S. Passports – U.S. Embassy Mexico City (December 30, 2021):
Subject: Travel to the United States on Expired U.S. Passports
Location: Worldwide
If you are overseas and your U.S. passport expired on or after January 1, 2020, you may be able to use your expired passport to return directly to the United States until March 31, 2022.”
You qualify to travel by air on your expired passport if all the following are true:
- You are a U.S. citizen.
- You are currently abroad seeking direct return to the United States.
- You are flying directly to the United States, a United States territory, or have only short-term transit (“connecting flights”) through a foreign country on your direct return to the United States or to a United States Territory.
- Your expired passport was originally valid for 10 years. Or, if you were 15 years of age or younger when the passport was issued, your expired passport was valid for five years.
- Your expired passport is undamaged.
- Your expired passport is unaltered.
- Your expired passport is in your possession.
You do not qualify to travel by air on your expired passport if:
- You wish to depart from the United States to an international destination.
- You 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.
- Your expired passport was limited in validity.
- Your expired passport is a special issuance passport (such as a diplomatic, official, service, or no-fee regular passport).
- Your expired passport is damaged.
- Your expired passport is altered.
- Your expired passport is not in your possession.
Applicants in Mexico: If your U.S. passport expired on or before December 31, 2019, or you wish to apply for a new passport, please see our websitefor information on how to renew your passport before traveling. Eligible adults may be able to renew by mail. Other applicants should use our passport navigator for instructions on how to apply for a passport. Emergency temporary passports may be available in some cases for urgent travel.
Applicants in the United States: Please be advised that currently, routine passport processing in the United States can take 8-11 weeks although domestic applicants can request expedited service for an additional $60 and 1-2 day delivery for an additional fee. See www.travel.state.gov for current processing times and schedule of fees, as well as information on how adults in the United States can renew by mail. Domestic applicants with urgent international travel plans may be eligible for an appointment at a domestic passport agency or center, which must be scheduled by phone (see https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html).