Your US Visa Is Valid but Your Passport Expired: Can You Still Travel?

Renewing a passport does not automatically mean replacing every visa inside the old one. US guidance allows travel with a valid visa in an expired passport in specific circumstances. The two documents need to be checked as a pair before you book.

Check the conditions, not just the expiry date

The State Department says the visa must remain valid, undamaged and appropriate for the main purpose of travel. Both passports should be from the same country and of the same type. Its example distinguishes ordinary passports from official passports.

A cancelled or revoked visa cannot be rescued by carrying a new passport. A visitor visa also does not become a work visa because it is still within its printed validity period.

Keep the visa in the old passport

Carry the old passport containing the visa and the new valid passport. Do not detach the visa page or try to transfer the sticker yourself. The official FAQ warns that removing and attaching the visa to another passport makes it invalid.

As a packing check, put both documents in the same secure travel folder, then inspect the physical visa rather than relying only on a photograph. If the old document is damaged around the visa, seek official guidance before treating it as usable.

Separate travel permission from admission

A visa lets you seek admission; the border officer makes the admission decision. Prepare evidence appropriate to your trip and check the current requirements for your nationality, route and purpose. A rule about expired passports is not an exemption from other entry restrictions.

Your next step

Read the State Department's visa-validity FAQ below. Compare nationality, passport type, visa category and dates across both documents. If your passports are from different countries, or your situation involves a name change, damage or a lost passport, ask the relevant US embassy or consulate about that specific situation rather than stretching the ordinary two-passport rule.