Hi everyone,
Well, just when I thought I had finally covered all the bases and come
up with a definite answer with regard to the question of how many
months a US traveler's passport must be valid from the date of entry
into Honduras... I received a curve ball.
I assumed that if I checked with the Honduran Embassy and Consulate in
Washington, DC, as well as with the airlines, that I could give you
the definitive answer. It never occurred to me that all of these
parties would have outdated information. This is the case, however.
Yesterday, I received a call from my contact at the Honduran Embassy
in DC. He told me that he had checked with an individual who works for
Honduras' Institute of Tourism in Miami, and that the right answer is
6 months, not 3 months (as I previously told you).
Apparently, the Honduran government passed a law not too long ago
changing the minimum validity time left on the passport (from the time
of entry into Honduras) to 6 months. ... But someone forgot to
officially notify the Embassy and the Consulate and the airlines.
Thus, many people have been traveling to Honduras with passports that
have less than 6 months validity left. The reason is that few at the
airlines know of the change. In certain cases, if an airline person
has a doubt about someone's passport and takes the time to pick up the
phone and directly call a customs/immigration official IN HONDURAS,
then there's a good chance that they will be advised of the new
6-month rule. If an airline person simply checks his/her Sabre online
reservations system, they will only see the 3-month rule.
The US State Department hasn't made things easy either. On their
English-language webpage for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, under
Honduras, it clearly states 3 months. See
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1135.html
On the Spanish-language travel section for the US Embassy in
Tegucigalpa, it clearly states 6 months. See
http://honduras.usembassy.gov/embajada/secciones/con_faq.htm
So as news comentator Paul Harvey would say, "Now, you have the rest
of the story!"
Please spread the word, so that people can avoid being left behind at
airports from now on.
Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Marco
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