Travel restriction on Indian passport with less than 6months

[rahulsaab]

My wife has travelled to India on 26th of August.

She currently holds an Indian Passport with a valid UK Tier 1 dependent visa.

Indian Passport Expiration date: 26th April 2017

UK Visa Expiration date: August 2019

The question i have for you is that her return travel day from India is on the 7th of November 2016. This means that her passport expiration date would be less than 6 months on that date.

May I please request some clarification whether she would be allowed to travel to London with less than 6 months validity on passport but with valid visa or not?

She is unable to renew her passport as we have a young 6 months old baby, so we would rather prefer to renew the passport once she returns to London.

Thanks and appreciate a speedy response as we may have to change the flights.

[rmukherjee]

This is a tough one to answer definitively, however, according to this website, UK requires a valid passport for the duration of your stay (i.e. 6 months rule doesn't apply). The UK authorities are also aware that Indian nationals do renew their passports in the UK through their high commission.

I have entered the UK in 2004 with a visa that expired in 2009 but a passport that expired in 2005, no problem. I simply renewed the passport in 2005 and carried the old passport along when I went in/out of the UK. I've not seen any guidance to indicate that this rule has changed. Note that I could be wrong too.

As a layperson I'd say -- as your wife has temporary leave to remain right up to 2019 the UK authorities will probably not have a problem with the fact that her passport is expiring in 2017 as they ought to know that she can renew the passport.

I wonder if there is any Home Office / UKVI helpline where one can confirm this. Moderators / Any other members - is there any such thing?

[rahulsaab]

Hi thanks rmukherjee for he prompt reply. I have spoken to airlines they don't seem to have any issues. Unfortunately no confirmation from UKVI although the Indian immigration people say she can travel. Passport Seva Kendra says no she can't travel. So still not clear.

[rmukherjee]

Hi thanks rmukherjee for he prompt reply. I have spoken to airlines they don't seem to have any issues. Unfortunately no confirmation from UKVI although the Indian immigration people say she can travel. Passport Seva Kendra says no she can't travel. So still not clear.

India has a rule that says your passport must be valid for more than 6 months to enter India as a tourist / visa holder. So it's understandable that the Passport Seva Kendras in India would apply that logic and say the same. It's silly really because they have no jurisdiction on what UK authorities allow and their opinion is not relevant here.

According to the UKVI, "You must have a valid passport to enter the UK. It must be valid for the whole of your stay." However from personal experience (and the thousands of people who renew their Indian passports in the UK), the above is not true for people who have temporary, multiple-year residence rights. It appears that "Passport valid for the whole of your stay" is only for visitors, i.e. people who come for less than 6 months.

You can also ask any immigration solicitor's office in the UK to verify this. They will be much more reliable than the Passport Seva Kendras.