Handsome1 said:
This will be my first time travelling backhome after obtaining GC. I have plastic card in possesion. My passport has 5 months validity left. I will be gone for 2 weeks only.
Do i have to have 6 months validity BEFORE i start travelling?
In some websites it says that travelers have to have 6 months validity after completion of the travel & also to carry all immigration docs. I assume they are talking about generally.
Do i need to carry any doc other than GC for re-entry?.
Will appreciate if you share your experiences.
My understanding is that as a GC holder you are actually not required to have a passport to reenter the U.S. at all. You are required, however to have
your green card with you which is both necessary and sufficient for reentry.
Hoever, you will probably need to have a valid passport to travel out of the U.S. to most countries.
U.S. immigration officers often (but not always) ask to see your passport upon reentering the U.S. However, as far as I understand, they are supposed to let you in even if you don't have one, provided that your green card is with you. On a couple of my trips when returning from Canada I did not volunteer my passport and was never asked for it.
Nonimmigrants (people on nonimmigrant visas and on the visa waiver) are indeed required to have a valid passport upon entry to the U.S. which is supposed to be valid for at least 6 months ahead. However, the U.S. has agreements with many countries that automatically extends the expiration date of your passport by 6 months from the nominal expiration date.
So if you are from a country with such an agreement, if you enter the U.S. say, on March 1, 2005 with your nominal passport expiration date March 2, 2005, the U.S. immigration should treat your passport as expiring on September 2, 2005.
Here is a link which gives the list of countries having these agreement with the U.S.:
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web/visa/niv/sixmonth.htm