Six-Month Rule Calculator
How long past your trip must your passport stay valid? Choose the destination tier, then enter your passport expiry date. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
The six-month rule, turned around
“Make sure your passport is valid for six months” is one of the most repeated pieces of travel advice — and one of the most misunderstood. There is no single global six-month rule. Instead there are tiers: a real 6-month tier (China and India, for visas), a 3-month-after-exit tier (the Schengen area), and a validity-only tier (Japan and the UK, where the passport need only be valid for your trip).
Most calculators ask “is my expiry date good enough?” This one turns the question around. You know when your passport expires — the useful answer is the latest date you can enter (or leave) and still be compliant, and the exact date your passport must reach. Pick the tier, enter your expiry, and read the deadline.
How to use it
- Choose the destination tier — the 6-month, 3-month (Schengen), validity-only, or the special Vietnam eVisa buffer.
- Enter your passport expiry date. The tool subtracts the tier’s buffer to show the latest date you can travel (or leave the area) and the date your passport must be valid until.
- Always confirm — rules differ by nationality and destination and change over time. Airlines often enforce a stricter buffer than the country itself, so check with the destination authority and your airline before you book.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one global six-month passport rule?
No. There is no single global rule. This tool groups countries into tiers: a real 6-month tier (China, India, for visas), a 3-month-after-exit tier (the Schengen area), and a validity-only tier (Japan, the UK, where the passport need only be valid for your trip).
How is this different from a passport validity calculator?
A validity calculator tests an existing expiry date against a rule. This tool works the other way round: from your passport expiry it tells you the latest date you can enter or leave, and the exact date your passport must reach.
How does the calculator work?
Pick the tier and enter your passport expiry. It subtracts the tier’s buffer (6 months, 3 months or none) to give the latest anchor date, and shows the date your passport must be valid until.
Does it store my passport date?
No. Everything runs in your browser on the date you type — no upload, no storage, no account. The page sends nothing anywhere.
What if my destination is not listed?
Use the 6-month option, which is the safe assumption when a destination publishes no specific rule, and confirm with the destination authority and your airline.
Where do the tiers come from?
They are the ones published on this site’s 6-month rule guide, verified against official sources in September 2026 — China and India (6 months), the Schengen area (3 months after exit, plus issued within 10 years), and Japan and the UK (validity only).
Related: the full tier table is in the 6-month passport rule guide, and the per-country photo windows in the photo validity guide. To test a specific expiry against a rule (including the Schengen 10-year catch), use the passport validity calculator, or plan the trip with the Schengen 90/180 calculator.
Source: the tiers are those published on this site’s 6-month rule guide, verified against official sources in September 2026 — China and India (6 months, for visas), the Schengen area (3 months after departure, plus issued within 10 years), Japan and the UK (validity only) and Vietnam (eVisa buffer). Retrieved 2026-10-08. Rules change; confirm the current position with the destination authority.