Can you travel with a passport due to expire in two months?

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Picture used for illustrative purposes alone
Picture used for illustrative purposes alone

In accordance with the Pakistan Passport & Visa Manual 2006, there is no restriction on renewal of passport before its expiry.

By Ashish Mehta (Legal View)

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Published: Sat 21 Oct 2017, 6:38 PM

Last updated: Fri 27 Oct 2017, 10:28 AM

I am a Pakistani national with a UAE visa valid until July 2018. I am planning a travel to Pakistan and will be coming back on December 17, 2016. However, my passport will expire on February 20, 2017. Will my passport be valid for another two months and I can get it renewed here in the UAE? Is there a chance of facing restriction on travelling and coming back to UAE?
Pursuant to your queries, since your passport is valid when you re-enter UAE on December 17, 2016 there should not be any problem as you are on residence visa of UAE. Upon your arrival you may apply for renewal of your passport through the Pakistani Embassy or Consulate in the UAE. In accordance with the Pakistan Passport & Visa Manual 2006, there is no restriction on renewal of passport before its expiry. We understand that passport having full validity of 5 or 10 years can be issued to the applicants even if existing passport has not completed its validity. However, the passport issuing authority may seek a statement mentioning the reason for obtaining a new passport before its expiry. The existing passport may be cancelled and returned to the applicant. All other formalities may also be completed. However, we recommend you to contact the office of Directorate General of Immigration and Passports in Pakistan to obtain further advice in this matter.
I had been working for a private company in Abu Dhabi for past three and half years. My labour card has been cancelled by the labour department but the employer is yet to complete the cancellation process from the Immigration department. Now I got an offer letter from another company and I am not able to join. Kindly advise me and also note my employer have already given me no-objection letter and clearance certificate.
Pursuant to your questions, you could meet the manager responsible for receiving complaints at the offices of the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs - Abu Dhabi and file a complaint against the employer.  You may consider to file a police complaint against your employer for unlawfully withholding your passport.
Ashish Mehta is the founder and managing partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates. He is qualified to practise law in Dubai, the United Kingdom, Singapore and India. Full details of his firm on: www.amalawyers.com. Readers may e-mail their questions to: news@khaleejtimes.com or send them to Legal View, Khaleej Times, PO Box 11243, Dubai.
 


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