J20 minus 60 — check your passports and renew them if needed

A few days back I wrote about various options Americans have for moving overseas. However, permanent resettlement isn't the only option for putting distance between you and the reach of the United States government. Sometimes it's enough to be able to travel abroad for a shorter period of time to let things die down.

In fact, having an overseas travel option is a nice, if not expensive, option for people who might be vulnerable to stalking, harassment, threats, doxing, etc. to have. When people are suffering harassment and abuse, my usual priority order for safety is physical before mental, mental before financial, financial before reputational. Being able to yeet yourself over a border is a powerful privilege to have. But to be able to do so, you need to have a valid passport. So today, 60 days before inauguration, is the perfect time to get double check your passports are up to date. Here's what I recommend:

I said passportS. Plural.

It's possible to have multiple passports! Dual citizens can carry two passports depending on the country. It's also possible to have to valid US passports if you have special circumstances, such as a frequent need to travel for work. These second passports are limited validity, usually 4 years.

It's also possible to have a diplomatic passport if you're a US government employee traveling on official diplomatic duties, but let's be honest if that's you you have other things to worry about other than reading this blog. Go update your passport, though.

If you're a multiple passport holder, the following questions apply to all of your passports.

Do you know where your passports are?

Go double check. Now!! Now put them somewhere safe.

I'm going to shout out to my ADD fam that you're going to maybe want to have an accountability buddy on this one. I love you. I know you. Let's be honest I probably am you. You're going to do the thing where you decide to put your passport(s) somewhere super safe but then you're going to forget where that is. This isn't a call-out. This is a survival guide. You'll thank me later.

Does your passport have at least one year of validity?

Passports essentially have "soft" expiration dates for travel. Most other countries require you to have at least as much time remaining on your valid passport as you could legally stay in the country, in many cases more. For instance, Albania^[1] requries 3 months of validity from the date of arrival, whereas the Schengen Area requires 3 months of validity past your expected departure date.^[2] Be careful!

If you have less than a year of validity, consider updating your passport(s).

Do you have enough blank pages?

Most countries will require one or two blank pages in your passport. Note: the endorsement pages don't count. If your passport is starting to fill up, then consider renewing it or getting a supplemental passport.

Do you need to update name and gender markers?

If so, do so now. For a name change, you might have different forms/fees based on how old your latest passport was and if it is still valid. Check the State Department's website for the most up-to-date information.

For gender markers, right now these can be self-selected. See the State department's page for up-to-date information.

Expect both of these policies to change soon after January 20.

Get your photos done by someone who knows how to do them

Passport photos have requirements that you might miss (no glasses, ears must be showing, etc). I've heard many a sad story about people who waited weeks for a passport assignment only to have to reschedule because the photo was funky. Get it done for like $17 at a CVS. The small added cost is worth the extra money and you're keeping humans and not robots employed.

What if you can't afford a passport?

I'm sure through the power of social media we can crowdfund you the $200ish total (including photos etc) that you need. Ping me on Bluesky at @emily.gorcen.ski with a link to a fundraiser and I'll boost it.

How can you help others afford a passport?

One option is to help fill up crowdfunded requests for passports. An even better option is to work with your local community to create a local passport fund that people can tap into. If you run a local activist or affinity group, consider creating such a fund!

Pay attention to ETIAS/ETA

This is important.

If you're looking to travel to Europe, note that the European Travel Information and Authorization System^[3] is due to come online in 2025. ETIAS is Europe's answer to the US ESTA system. It's a digital authorization system for visa-free travelers, e.g. Schengen travelers. It will cost €7 to apply and it will be valid for 3 years after applying. Applications are digital and in the vast majority of cases should be nearly instantaneous, but can take up to 30 days for a notification. So best not to wait until last minute. ETIAS will not guarantee entry; not having it will guarantee no entry. That said, ETIAS has been delayed before and I put the chances of it being delayed again quite high.^[4]

The UK has a similar program, Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).^[5] Like ETIAS, ETA is coming online in 2025. It's a bit ahead of its continental counterparts. ETA came online in 2023 for Jordan and Qatar and followed soon after with all of the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.^[6] It's expected to go live for most other countries in early 2025. It costs £10 and is valid for two years. Like ETIAS, approval should take only seconds or minutes, but could take longer. So make sure you apply well in advance if you know you might need to travel.

When you get your passport, take a photo of it

If you've lost your passport while traveling, you may need to provide some sort of documentation of your passport in order to get a new one without restrictions. The best way is to have a copy on your phone. Or even better, to ensure that a trust friend or loved one (or best: an attorney) has a copy of it in case your phone disappears with your passport, too.

If you don't have this, you may need to provide other documentation, and that documentation may not be current with your name and gender. That's OK, but you'll have to provide evidence of the name change. So you might want to have a copy of that with someone who can access it in an emergency. If you can't afford an attorney, someone in your community can help.

Don't worry about revealing name or gender changes to the state. They already know. Check out the records from my FOIPA request. It was a search of my driver history record pursuant to an investigation. You can see that they have my deadname documented. They Consulate just needs confirmation that you are who you are, if you have conflicting documentation with you.

What else should you know?

Where are you likely to go for a stay if you need to get out of the country for a bit? Make sure you understand the visa requirements. The American passport is among the strongest passports in the world according to the Passport Index^[7] with access to 123 countries visa-free, 49 countries visa-on-arrival, and 26 countries that require a visa. If you're looking to go to one of those 26 countries (or even the 49 VOA countries), you might want to apply for a visa now. It depends on the country, but single- and multi-entry visas can have validity anywhere from a few weeks to a couple years. Visa applications need to be done at the country's nearest consulate, so go online to find where that is. Often times, you'll need to surrender your passport to them for a few days or weeks.

Don't lie to the passport people about having lost your passport

If you lose multiple passports within a 10-year window, the State Department looks a little stinkeyed at you. You'll only be granted limited validity passports for the next ten years if that happens.^[8] Besides, you don't get a discount, nor do you get free expedited service, if your passport was lost or stolen. If you passport was stolen, it is not mandatory to get a police report. However, if you do file a police report, it's much less likely that if you lose a passport again, that you won't have the stolen passport count against you and then be stuck with limited validity docs.

You can expedite your passport if you have imminent travel needs

And you can prove you have imminent travel if you book a fully-refundable overseas flight. Sometimes you can even get a flight reservation without paying. I've had to do this before, years ago, but I haven't seen the option lately. You might have luck if you look. You shouldn't lie to the government (that's bad), but travel plans change all the time!

Have fun and travel safe

The world is your oyster!^[9] Gute Reise! Bon voyage!