Extension of expired passport

Hello Rwin,

You should be very careful NOT to let your passport expire. In most countries this could get you into a great deal of trouble. Passports can't be "extended", you must apply for a new passport.

You should contact your country's Consulate or Embassy in Saudi Arabia to find out the process for applying for a passport from abroad. You may be able to download an application form and obtain a new passport through the Consulate in SA. You may ask to have the cancelled (old) passport returned to you with the new one because visas are not transferred to the new passport.

If you must travel very shortly and that doesn't allow you time to obtain a new passport you will need to contact the Consulate and ask about obtaining an Emergency Passport, since you cannot travel with an expired passport.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

Thanks for the reply sir.. I mean even it is an exit visa? It wouldnt be possible to travel going back to my country? Im just collating ideas so by the time our HR talk to me I have knowledge regarding this and not be fooled by him.. Thank you again..

To board any international plane, you MUST have a passport valid for 3-6 months.

It has no connection with the type of saudi visa endorsed on it (exit re-entry or final exit whatever).

Rwin wrote:

Thanks for the reply sir.. I mean even it is an exit visa? It wouldnt be possible to travel going back to my country? Im just collating ideas so by the time our HR talk to me I have knowledge regarding this and not be fooled by him.. Thank you again..

You cannot travel on an expired passport. The visa may well be valid but the passport is not. As others have said, airlines will not allow travel on an expired passport as they have to have at least 6 months remaining on them.

As a matter of urgency you need to contact your embassy and get a new passport or ask them if there is some sort of emergency travel document you can get. Just remember that the new passport may take time to get and your exit visa may expire before you get the new passport.

Are you sure on this mam/sir? 'Cause i asked some of my friends here in ksa that there would be no problem if my passport will expire since it is exit visa.. I just wanna make sure of this because our HR also said that there's no need to renew.. Thank you.. Godbless!

Renew the passport & if you still want to question everyone's advice call Saudia Airlines and see if they will let you fly with an expired passport or call the airport and see if security will let you pass through their checkpoint with an expired passport.

Rwin wrote:

Are you sure on this mam/sir? 'Cause i asked some of my friends here in ksa that there would be no problem if my passport will expire since it is exit visa.. I just wanna make sure of this because our HR also said that there's no need to renew.. Thank you.. Godbless!

Your friends and you HR dept are showing their ignorance about your problem.
You need a valid passport to travel on. End of story.

I have been travelling for the last 45+ years so I do have an understanding about passports travel documents, visas, work permits etc.

Rwin wrote:

Are you sure on this mam/sir? 'Cause i asked some of my friends here in ksa that there would be no problem if my passport will expire since it is exit visa.. I just wanna make sure of this because our HR also said that there's no need to renew.. Thank you.. Godbless!

If you are traveling to any other country except your country, your passport should be valid for 3 to 6 months as per the country laws. If you are travelling back to your country then your passport should be valid for atleast a day while entering. Your exit visa is just to let you leave saudi immigration, but to board a plane you need valid passport. Also if you enter with expired passport your immigration itself will bring troubles for you. Follow the rules or get punished, if you still believe that then your friends might be giving you the last year case, where many people left saudi with illegal work visa. but embassy here has provided them with valid passport and papers for exit.  Dont get in trouble easily, just renew your passport, its so simple and will take less than a week i guess..

Hello Rwin,

Your friends are absolutely wrong. You cannot board any international flight on an expired passport and, in fact, you won't even get past airport security without a current valid passport.

The following is an excerpt from an article in USA Today:

"Expiring During Travels

If your passport expires while you're abroad, you can face significant problems. For international travel, several countries mandate that you have at least three to six months left until your passport expires. If you enter the country with an expired passport, you will not only be fined but in some cases, you also will be immediately deported. You may also face problems returning to the United States if your passport has expired."

Read the entire article HERE.

So as you can see, even if you were somehow able to get back to your own country you would even have difficulty getting back in with an expired passport.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team