Why twelve months, not six
Every country Faize Husaini travels to — Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India — requires a passport valid for at least six months beyond the return date, plus two blank visa pages. For a safar in June 2027 that means a passport valid into December 2027. Visa applications are made weeks before departure, and a passport that expires soon after is refused at that stage, not at the airport. Twelve months of validity today is the margin that keeps a family on the list.
What to do this week
- Look at every passport in the houseIncluding infants and children. A child's passport is issued for five years, and it is the one families forget.
- Write down each expiry dateIf any passport expires before December 2027, start the renewal now.
- Apply through eCitizenKenyan passport renewal currently takes several weeks, and longer in the months before a miqaat when everyone applies at once.
- Upload the new passport to your portalSign in at fhkenya.com/portal with your ITS number. The office verifies it and your record is then ready for any safar.
Also check
- Two blank visa pages. A passport that is full needs replacing even if the date is fine.
- The spelling of the name. It must match the ITS record exactly. One different letter is enough for a visa to be refused.
- Yellow fever certificate. Required for India and Saudi Arabia, and for re-entry to Kenya. It is valid from ten days after the injection.
If you are not sure whether a passport will do, upload the photo page to the portal and the office will tell you. There is no charge and no obligation to book.