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The title pretty much says it. In many cases I see things that say someone must have at least 6 months left on their passport to enter a country. In this case, I am interested in whether a permanent resident (with a Dutch passport) faces that requirement or not.

I've found a number of forums which suggest it's not a problem, but I'd like to see a reference to an actual official source.

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  • Did you even try to google it? I found the answer on first try.
    – Aganju
    Commented Jan 9, 2017 at 12:40
  • @aganju Did you try to read the full question before you made that comment? It answers your question. FWIW: On a search for '6 month passport requirement permanent resident us' (from Australia) the only link on the first page of results that claims to answer the question a quora post by "anonymous". Tried various other things, and found similar statements, by similarly unofficial sources.
    – Joel
    Commented Jan 9, 2017 at 13:43
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    @Joel since you don't need a passport at all to enter the US as a permanent resident, one can conclude that the expiration date of your passport does not matter. But it's going to be hard to find an official source that states this explicitly. There is an official source that states that Dutch visitors need a passport that is only valid until they leave, because the Netherlands is on a (very long) list of countries that are not subject to the six-month rule otherwise applicable to visitors.
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 9, 2017 at 15:44
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    I think I answered or commented this on another question here, but in short: according to the US state department, it's possible that some airlines might not allow you to board the flight, even though CBP on the US end would have no problem. I think what I had been researching was for an immigrant visa, not a green card, but maybe it still applies?
    – Dan Getz
    Commented Jan 9, 2017 at 16:10
  • OK I found what I had written before, and (after also searching some .gov pages) it sounds like that was specific to non-residents. The 6 months (if applicable) should be for the outgoing trip away from your residence, and is supposed to give enough time to return to your residence before the passport is expired.
    – Dan Getz
    Commented Jan 9, 2017 at 23:52

2 Answers 2

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You do not need a passport to enter the US when you have a Green Card.

See https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-green-card-granted/international-travel-permanent-resident for the official text:

What documents do I need to present to reenter the United States?

If seeking to enter the United States after temporary travel abroad, you will need to present a valid, unexpired “green card” (Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card). When arriving at a port of entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer will review your permanent resident card and any other identity documents you present, such as a passport, foreign national I.D. card or U.S. Driver’s License, and determine if you can enter the United States. For information pertaining to entry into the United States, see U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s webpage.

It says 'or US Driver's license', so it will be good enough in combination with the Green Card.

From own experience, I have multiple times travelled to Europe and back to the US, only needing the destination country's local ID card and the Green Card. Although they typically ask for your passport, it is ok to not have one.

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    the green card is sufficient by itself. The license and passport are just examples of optional extra ID. As in most contexts, "any" means that it's okay to omit.
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 10, 2017 at 3:54
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https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1191/~/traveling-outside-of-the-u.s.---documents-needed-for-lawful-permanent-residents

office link confirms passport or months of validity remaining is not an area of concern

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