I plan to fly to South America soon, the first country I plan to travel to is Argentina.
My plan is to have along trip that will involve traveling to other countries in the region.
My passport will expire in about 9 months.
Can I go from Argentina to a neighboring country (Chile) when my passport is less than six months away from the expiration date?
Many people adopt a practice of avoiding travel with a passport having less than 6 months validity, because some countries require foreign passports to be valid for at least six months on entry, or even six months beyond the planned end of the visit. In some countries there is no 6-month rule, but rather than worrying about each country you plan to go to (and the possibility of having to go to countries you hadn't planned to), it may be simpler just to renew your passport early.
Having said that, Chile appears to have no six-month rule. Timatic, the database of entry requirements that airlines use to decide whether to allow passengers to board international flights, says "Passports and other documents accepted for entry must be valid on arrival." (You don't mention your nationality, but this came from a query submitted on the assumption that you are a citizen of the UK.) The US embassy in Chile has the more reasonable sounding "U.S. passports must be in good condition and valid for the period of stay" (source). It is however possible that Chile has different passport validity rules for different countries (as does the US, for example). I tried searching for information about that on Chilean government sites, but could not find any.
I highly recommend renewing your passport before you leave. Having just 9 months left on it is too risky for majority of countries want you to have a minimum of 6 months and you wouldn't want to take a chance and it expire. Also it would have a huge impact and cause many complications in the future if you change your plans which often happen, take it from me I've traveled for over 13 years now on and off...plans always change! If you wish to spend longer in a place you fall in love with or a person you meet and wish to stay longer with them. Having a passport too close to expiry would ruin your plans changing and cost you ALOT in money, time, energy and hassle trying to get a it renewed if even possible when your in South America. Get the renewal, have the freedom of travel and enjoy the journey...Good luck...
