Q: My aunt is an American citizen living in New York. She is getting older and I worry that her passport might expire before she remembers to renew it. When should she renew her US passport?

A. This is a great question, especially if you have US relatives who might need to make an urgent trip to Jamaica for a wedding, funeral or other important business. It’s always a good idea to renew a US passport well in advance as you can never know when it will be needed for urgent travel. Many countries won’t let you enter if you have less than six months of validity on your passport; you can check the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website at

travel.state.gov/content/travel/en.html for specific countries’ entry requirements.

There is no extra fee for renewing a US passport early and even if the passport has many months of validity left, only the standard fee applies. For more information about renewing US passports in the US or in Jamaica, please see our global passport renewal site:

travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/renew.html.

In recent months, we have experienced unexpected delays in processing passport applications. If you also factor in potential delays in gathering the necessary documentation and submitting an application, it is a very good idea to renew your passport quite a few months before your passport’s expiration. Remember also that minors’ passports are only valid for five years, unlike adult passports, which are valid for ten years.

For all these reasons, some travellers like to take care of renewals a year or more in advance of a trip. Information on passport applications for those living in Jamaica, including how to schedule an appointment for passport services, is available on the Embassy’s website at

kingston.usembassy.gov/service.html.

Children under the age of 16 will need to have consent from both parents and any parents present in Jamaica must appear in person. If a parent is overseas and cannot appear in person, they must provide the Statement of Consent, form DS-3053, along with a photocopy of their ID to the person that accompanies the minor. For detailed information on how to renew the passports of minor children, please see our webpage on this topic at

kingston.usembassy.gov/http/travel/passport/get/outside/outside_5463.html.

In order to apply for a US passport you will need to establish both your identity and your citizenship. As a reminder, it is not possible to travel on a naturalisation certificate. If you are a naturalised US citizen, you cannot travel back to the United States on your certificate and will need a valid US passport in order to return to the United States. If you travel to Jamaica without a valid US passport you will have to apply for one at the Embassy in Kingston and wait for it to be processed, which could cause an unwanted delay in your travel.

You can find more information about how to travel to the US on our website, www.kingston.usembassy.gov and the website of our authorised service provider at

www.usvisa-info.com. Keep on top of embassy news on ourFacebook page,www.facebook.com/pages/US-Embassy-Jamaica, and by following@USEmbassyJA onTwitter. We also answer general visa questions on ourFacebook andTwitter pages.

The embassy staff in Kingston will answer questions you may have regarding the US Mission, including consular law, regulations and/or practice. In order to respect privacy, staff will not answer questions about specific visa applications. The embassy employs a visa appointment system, so it is only necessary for visa applicants to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment. Send your questions to:

editorial@jamaicaobserver.com

and we will forward them to the embassy.

and we will forward them to the embassy.