Travel documents checklist
You can buy a toothbrush anywhere. A missing passport or visa can end a trip at the airport. Check your documents weeks before you go, not the night before.
This is a general checklist. Entry rules depend on your citizenship, your destination and your route, and they change. Check the official government sources for your own trip.
Passport validity
- Check the expiry date for every traveler, kids included.
- Check the destination's validity rule. Each country sets its own. Some want your passport valid for a set time after you arrive or leave. The US State Department says some foreign destinations require your passport to be valid for at least 6 months beyond the dates of your trip, and some airlines won't let you board if it isn't. For the Schengen area in Europe, Government of Canada guidance says your passport should be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave.
- Check for blank pages if your destination stamps passports.
- Match names. Book flights in the name exactly as it appears on the passport you'll travel with.
- Renew early if your passport is close to expiring. The Government of Canada advises against traveling on a passport that's about to expire.
Visas and entry forms
- Look up entry requirements for every country you'll enter, including countries where you only change planes. Use your own government's travel advice pages and the destination's official site.
- Apply for any visa or electronic travel authorization well before you go. For example, Government of Canada guidance notes that Canadian visitors to the UK generally need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
- Check how long you can stay. Canadians visiting the Schengen area can generally stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
- Fill in arrival forms ahead of time if your destination uses them, and pack a pen for any paper forms.
- Traveling with a child without the other parent? For Canadian children, the Government of Canada recommends a consent letter from any parent or guardian not on the trip. It's not a legal requirement, but officials may ask for it.
Insurance details
- Know what you're covered for. Check whether your plan covers medical care abroad, trip cancellation and lost bags, and what's excluded.
- Save the policy number and the emergency phone line in your phone and on paper.
- Check card benefits. Some credit cards include travel coverage. Read the terms to see what applies.
- Bring prescriptions in their original containers, with a copy of the prescription.
Confirmations and money
- Flights, trains or bus tickets
- Lodging confirmations, with addresses in the local language if you can get them
- Car rental confirmation and your driver's license. Check whether you need an international driving permit.
- Cards, a backup card stored separately, and a little local cash
- Emergency contacts list, including your country's embassy or consulate at your destination
Digital and paper copies
- Photograph or scan your passport photo page, visas, insurance card, prescriptions and booking confirmations.
- Store digital copies somewhere you can reach without your phone, such as a secure cloud folder or an email to yourself.
- Pack paper copies separately from the originals.
- Leave copies with someone at home you trust.
Add it to your packing list
Documents are the first category on every generated list: passport or ID, tickets, insurance details, visas or entry forms, lodging confirmations and emergency contacts, plus copies of key documents on most trip types. Passports and visas or entry forms are counted for every traveler, kids included. If you untick "Flying or crossing a border", passports, visas and boarding passes drop off. Tick them off first.
Sources
- Government of Canada, "Travel information" (Canadian passports): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/help-centre/travel-information.html
- Government of Canada, "Travelling in Europe": https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/travelling-europe
- Government of Canada, "Recommended consent letter for children travelling abroad": https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/consent-letter
- US Department of State, "Frequently Asked Questions about Passport Services": https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/contact-support/faq.html