When to renew your passport, and how to do it
When to renew your passport depends on your trip, not only on the expiry date. Some countries want your passport to stay valid for 6 months after you leave. The Schengen area in Europe wants 3 months after you leave, and a passport issued within the last 10 years. Then you need time for the passport office to do its work, which ranges from 13 working days in South Africa to at least 6 weeks in Australia when you apply at home.
The rules below cover passports from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
How far in advance should you renew your passport?
Work backwards from your trip. Follow these three steps.
- Find the last day you will be in each country you visit. Your passport must still be valid on that day, plus any extra time that country asks for.
- Check each country’s official entry rules for how much extra time it needs. The next section explains the common rules.
- If your passport falls short, apply for a new one well before you book. Add your passport office’s processing time and delivery time, then add a margin in case your application needs extra checks.
GOV.UK says you must renew before you travel if your passport has expired, or if it does not have enough time left on it for the country you are visiting.
How much time do you need left on your passport?
There is no single worldwide rule, so check each of these against your trip.
The Schengen area in Europe
If you are not an EU citizen, your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years. It must also be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen area. Both rules apply at the same time. A passport can still have months left before it expires and fail the 10-year issue-date rule.
The 6-month rule
Some countries refuse entry if your passport has less than 6 months of validity left from the date you plan to leave that country. The rule differs from country to country, so check the official entry page for each place on your trip before you travel.
Blank pages
You may be refused entry if your passport does not have at least 1 empty visa page, or enough room for an entry stamp. South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs asks for more: at least two blank facing pages, not counting the endorsement page at the back.
How long does passport renewal take?
These are the times each passport office publishes. They are processing times. Delivery or mailing time is extra unless the office says otherwise.
| Passport | Standard time | Faster options |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 13 working days. At least six to eight months if you apply outside South Africa. | None published for tourist passports. |
| United Kingdom | Usually within 3 weeks. Longer if more information or an interview is needed. | Online Premium and 1 week Fast Track, for a higher fee. |
| Canada | 20 business days online, by mail or at a regular Service Canada Centre. 10 business days at a passport office. | Urgent and express services, in person at a passport office only. |
| Australia | Allow at least 6 weeks from lodging your application. | Priority, 2 business days. Fast Track, 5 business days. Eligible applicants only. |
| New Zealand | Allow at least 4 weeks (20 working days), plus delivery. | Urgent processing aims for 3 working days, depending on demand. |
Since April 2026, Canada refunds your passport fee automatically if a standard application takes more than 30 business days to process. Urgent and express services are not covered.
How to renew your passport
Each country runs its own process. Find your passport below.
South Africa
Home Affairs describes its passports as not renewable. Once your passport expires, you submit a new application. Adult tourist passports are valid for 10 years. Frequent travellers can choose a 48-page Maxi passport instead of the standard 32 pages.
You must apply in person, because Home Affairs captures your fingerprints and photo. You have two ways to do this in South Africa.
- Apply at a Home Affairs office that has live capture.
- Apply and pay online through eHomeAffairs, then book a visit to a Home Affairs office or a Home Affairs enabled bank office to have your fingerprints and photo taken.
Be careful with the newer walk-in bank service run with Capitec, Standard Bank, FNB and others. It handles Smart ID cards only. Home Affairs lists passport applications as not yet available through it.
You pay a higher fee if your current passport has not expired and still has 6 months or more of validity left. Home Affairs also advises that your passport should be valid for at least 30 days after you leave.
If you live outside South Africa, you apply at the nearest South African embassy or consulate. Home Affairs says these applications take at least six to eight months.
Check current fees on the Department of Home Affairs passport page.
United Kingdom
You can renew online or with a paper form. Renewing online costs less. HM Passport Office says you will usually get your new passport within 3 weeks.
Do not book travel until you have a valid passport. Your new passport will have a different number from your old one.
If you need your passport quickly, look at the Online Premium and 1 week Fast Track services.
Check current fees on the GOV.UK passport fees page.
Canada
Since July 2026, every eligible adult living in Canada can renew online. You can renew online if all of these apply to you:
- Your current passport is a regular blue passport, valid for 5 or 10 years, and shows your place of birth.
- It was issued in the last 15 years, when you were 16 or older.
- It expires within the next 6 months, or has already expired.
- Your home and mailing addresses are both in Canada.
- You are not travelling for the next 20 business days.
- You are renewing your own passport, with the same name, date of birth, place of birth and gender.
- Your current passport is undamaged and has no observations, which are special notes printed in some passports.
If you do not meet these rules, you can renew by mail, which takes 20 business days plus mailing time, or in person, which takes 10 or 20 business days depending on the location.
If you live outside Canada, use the renewal page for Canadians abroad, or the page for Canadians in the United States.
Check current fees on the Canada.ca passport fees page.
Australia
You can renew online if all of these apply to your current passport:
- It was issued when you were 18 or older.
- It shows your current name, date of birth, place of birth and gender.
- It has not been lost, stolen or cancelled in the past 5 years.
- It expired less than 3 years ago, or expires within 2 years.
- It was issued with at least 2 years of validity.
If you do not meet these rules, you apply through the standard process, which includes an in-person visit to a participating post office.
Two rules matter for timing. Any time left on your old passport does not carry over, because your new passport is valid from the date it is issued. And you should avoid travelling outside Australia while your renewal is processed, or you could be stranded overseas with a cancelled passport.
If you are 75 or older, you can choose a 5-year adult passport instead of the standard 10-year passport. It costs less.
If you need your passport urgently for a compassionate or compelling reason, call 131 232 to ask for an appointment.
Check current fees on the Australian Passport Office fees page.
New Zealand
You can renew a current or expired passport online. New Zealand Passports says online is the fastest way to renew. Paper applications take longer because they need extra processing. Adult passports are valid for 10 years.
Check current fees on the New Zealand Passports costs page.
Can you renew your passport before it expires?
Yes, in all five countries you can apply before your passport expires. The timing still matters, and each country handles it differently.
- South Africa: Home Affairs charges a higher fee if your current passport still has 6 months or more left. Applying once it has less than 6 months left avoids that.
- Australia: you lose any time left on your old passport when you renew.
- Canada: online renewal only opens once your passport expires within 6 months, or has expired. Before that, you can renew by mail or in person.
- New Zealand: you can renew a current or expired passport online.
- United Kingdom: you must renew if you do not have enough time left for the country you are visiting.
Mistakes to avoid when you renew your passport
- Booking flights before your new passport arrives. GOV.UK and Canada.ca both warn against this.
- Checking only the expiry date. The Schengen area also looks at your passport’s issue date.
- Forgetting blank pages. A country can refuse entry if your passport has no free page for a stamp.
- Travelling abroad from Australia while your renewal is in progress.
- Leaving an application from abroad too late. A South African passport applied for outside South Africa takes at least six to eight months.
When to renew your passport: a simple checklist
- Write down the last day of your trip in each country.
- Check each country’s entry rule: 3 months, 6 months or another rule.
- Check your passport’s issue date if you are going to Europe.
- Count your blank pages.
- Look up your passport office’s current processing time.
- Apply before you book, and allow extra time for delivery.
- Check the current fee on your passport office’s fee page.
With your passport in order, read our guides on choosing travel insurance as an older traveler and packing light with carry-on only.
For more trip planning help, see our travel guides.