Can I fly with expired papers?

Maybe you’ve already booked your flight tickets and decided to go abroad this summer. But the problem is: your identity documents (National Identity Card and Passport) have expired. Should I cancel? Don’t panic, some countries accept expired documents. Here’s what they are.

Identity Card

Effective January 1, 2014, the validity period of an ID card for adults has increased from ten to fifteen years. If your ID card was issued before 2013, it is valid for fifteen years, if you were issued after 2013, it is also valid, but only if it is an old model (blue plastic card). In the new model (credit card format), the ID card is valid for only 10 years.

So, in theory, you can continue to travel in Europe with your ID card five years after its expiry date. But beware, this French law does not apply in all countries. Some have They officially confirmed their acceptance Old expired ID cards (within 5 years). This applies in particular to Andorra, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Monaco, Serbia and Italy, but also to Tunisia (only for dual citizens or persons participating in group trips organized by a tourism specialist) and Turkey.

Other countries have not officially spoken but bear with me These old maps. In the EU, the same is true of our German and Spanish neighbors Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Cyprus or Romania and Sweden. Outside the EU, Liechtenstein, the Vatican, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Morocco (only for dual nationals or persons participating in group tours organized by a tour operator), tolerate the presentation of an expired ID card.

Finally, Belgian, Norwegian and Lithuanian authorities accept old valid identity cards (blue plastic). But don’t accept expired ones.

A tip, you can visit the site before booking your trip A list of countries applying the 2014 Act is available from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Passport

Regarding traveling with an expired passport, the rules are slightly different. Judgment of the Court of Cassation from February 2020 It stipulates that you can travel across the EU with a passport that is less than five years old. In these circumstances the European Convention authorizes a stay of less than three months. However, the Netherlands and French overseas territories are not signatories to this agreement, meaning it is impossible to travel there with an expired passport.

Outside the European Union, a valid biometric passport is required, i.e. issued less than ten years for an adult, and less than five years for a minor. Some, such as Australia, Thailand, the United States or Vietnam, Cuba, India or China, go even further and require passports to be valid for at least six months from the date of entry or departure. For South Africa or Canada, this period is at least one month. For Mexico or Argentina, a passport valid only for the duration of the stay is required.