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My wife is travelling from Philadelphia to India in January 2019 and, on her outbound trip, she will only have 50 days validity left on her passport. However, while in India, she will be renewing her passport. The reply from a similar question seems to answer point 1 below, but I wanted a second opinion to be sure.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-6-month-validity-rules-for-travelling-to-India-from-the-USA-I-have-a-4-month-validity-on-my-Indian-passport-I-am-traveling-with-Singapore-airlines-I-only-have-layover-in-Singapore-Is-that-a-problem-to

Here are the questions we have:

  1. Can she travel from the US to India via Doha, Qatar with passport validity of only 50 days?
  2. Can we make a reservation on Qatar Airways for the roundtrip travel using her current passport and before the return from India to the US update passport information on the reservation?
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To answer your two questions:

Can she travel from the US to India via Doha, Qatar with passport validity of only 50 days?

Yes. The passport is valid for entry into India till the day its valid (the midnight of it, to be precise); and you are arriving well before its expiry.

Transit in Doha does not require a visa. If you have an extremely long transit, the airline will arrange for accommodations and any associated visas.

Can we make a reservation on Qatar Airways for the roundtrip travel using her current passport and before the return from India to the US update passport information on the reservation?

Yes. If you have visas in the old passport that are still valid, it will be returned to you upon renewal. You should carry both passports with you when you travel out of India; until such time that [a] you have transferred the visas from the old to the new passport or [b] the visa in the old passport expires.

Your eligibility to enter the US will be confirmed when you arrive for your return flight; you will need the old and the new passport to confirm this.

All travel stamps will be done on your new passport (even if your old passport has empty pages).

Your API (Advanced Passenger Information) will be updated when you check-in and your new passport will be used, and your old passport verified for visas.

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    Just want to add, that while airlines may ask for passport details prior to check-in, they generally just use names. The Names must match exactly. You can use a different document to the one that you provided (if asked for) at booking.
    – user58558
    Oct 28, 2018 at 13:35
  • I'm kind of confused... is the question only if the passenger can enter into Doha? It sounds like there could be an issue for an Indian National entering India with an expired passport?
    – CGCampbell
    Dec 23, 2020 at 16:54
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Searching Timatic through the Qatar Airways portal using your details I find this:

India:

Passports issued to nationals of India must be valid on arrival

Qatar

Visa Exemptions:

Nationals of India with a normal passport traveling as tourists for a maximum stay of 30 days. They must have a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months from the arrival date. They can apply to extend their stay for another 30 days.

TWOV (Transit Without Visa):

Passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country within 24 hours. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination.

Additional Information:

Passengers in transit with a pre-arranged Stopover Paid by Carrier (STPC) and a passport valid for a minimum of 3 months are permitted to leave the airport.

Your wife will be fine to enter India.

At Doha she will be fine to transit if she complies with the TWOV restrictions, i.e. stays in the transit area of the airport.

To your second question: there should be no problem with this, but you might have to contact the airline's customer service team to do it.

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    They should also be able to update the passport number at check-in on the return flight.
    – Michael Hampton
    Oct 28, 2018 at 21:03
  • To echo @MichaelHampton's comment, I routinely fly with a passport other than the one I used when I booked the ticket, and I've never had a problem with it. I just give the new passport number when I check in for the first leg where I'll be using that passport. I've never had to deal with customer service; the ground staff at the airport are perfectly capable of handling it.
    – phoog
    Oct 28, 2018 at 23:46

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