On a U.S. passport book, the expiration date is printed on the data page, the first inside page that carries your photo and personal details. Look near the bottom of that page for the label “Date of Expiration,” printed in a day-month-year format such as 01 JAN 2035. On a passport card, the same date appears on the front, next to your photo.
Locating the Date in a Passport Book
Open the booklet to the first inside page with your photograph. This is the data page, sometimes called the biographical page, and it lists your full name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, passport number, date of issue, and date of expiration. On passports issued since 2021, under the “Next Generation” design, this page is a rigid polycarbonate card rather than laminated paper, and the information is laser-engraved into the material.1U.S. Department of State. Information About the Next Generation U.S. Passport
The expiration date sits in the lower-right area of the personal information block. It uses a DD MMM YYYY format, with the month written as a three-letter English abbreviation (JAN, FEB, MAR, and so on). Directly beside it you’ll see the “Date of Issue,” which tells you when the passport was originally granted. Comparing the two dates is a quick way to confirm whether you’re holding a standard 10-year adult book, a 5-year minor book, or a limited-validity book.
Two lines of letters and numbers run across the very bottom of the data page. That block is the machine-readable zone, or MRZ, which airport scanners and border kiosks read automatically. Your expiration date is encoded in the second line. You don’t need to decode it, but if the printed date ever looks smudged or worn, a border officer can pull the same date from the MRZ.
Locating the Date on a Passport Card
The U.S. passport card is a wallet-sized alternative to the book, valid for land and sea travel between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. The expiration date is printed on the front of the card next to your photo and personal details, in the same DD MMM YYYY format used in the book. Validity matches the book too: 10 years for adults and 5 years for applicants under 16.2Travel.State.Gov. Get a Passport Card
How Long a U.S. Passport Stays Valid
An adult passport, issued to anyone 16 or older, is valid for 10 years from the date of issue. A passport issued to a child under 16 is valid for 5 years.3U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Passport as a 16-17 Year Old The shorter window for minors reflects how quickly a child’s appearance changes, which matters for identification at borders.
One common exception is worth knowing about. A second U.S. passport book, sometimes issued to frequent travelers who need to send one passport off for a visa application while continuing to travel on another, is typically valid for only four years. If you carry a second book, check the expiration date carefully, because it will not line up with the standard 10-year cycle.
Why the Printed Date Isn’t the Whole Story
A passport can be technically valid and still not get you on a plane. Many countries require that a passport remain valid for at least six months beyond your planned entry or departure date, and the U.S. Department of State advises travelers to make sure their documents remain valid for at least six months after their return.4U.S. Department of State. Age 65+ Travelers – Section: Passport and Visa Requirements Airlines enforce this rule strictly because they face fines when a passenger is turned away at a foreign border, so you can be denied boarding well before the printed date arrives.
Not every destination uses the same buffer. The Schengen Area, which covers most of the European Union along with countries such as Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland, requires your passport to be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from Europe.5U.S. Department of State. U.S. Travelers in Europe That is more lenient than the six-month rule, but it still means a passport expiring a month after your trip will not be enough for a European vacation. Check the specific entry requirements for every country on your itinerary before booking flights.
When to Check the Date
Look at your expiration date at least nine months before any planned international trip. Routine renewal processing currently takes four to six weeks, and total turnaround including mailing time can run longer.6U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports Starting that far out gives you room for routine processing, avoids expedite fees, and keeps you clear of even the strictest six-month validity requirement without a last-minute scramble.