Post-date passport confusion!

It's been years since I went to the US but when I've travelled recently, I've only needed to give my passport details close to the flight. People are warned not to book holidays before they renew their passport just in case it doesn't arrive in time. If you are going to apply for a post-dated passport in February and travel in September, then I think you have plenty of time for it to arrive before you are required to give your passport details.

If you know you will be changing your name, then I think you could book everything now in your new name. You may just need your OH to pay for everything as you won't have a bank card yet with the same name as the booking.

We’re honeymooning 5 months after our wedding and I was advised by our travel agent to book everything under my maiden name as name changes can take a while and might not be ready to go for flying. We just have to take a marriage certificate for the honeymoon ‘perks’ that come with our rooms.

When does your passport expire? You will need to have at least 6 months validity from 10 years after the date that your passport was issued. It might, for example, be that the Issue Date was, say, 1st August 2014, but the expiry date is 1st November 2024. Airlines are now looking at the valid FROM date, and using the 6 month rule... in this hypothetical example, the passport is invalid from 1st Feb 2024 (9 years and 6 months after issue).

It does sound to me, that you would have plenty of time to renew you passport in your married name, especially if you're intending on travelling a few months after your big day. Most of my clients leave their passports in their maiden name, and update it when they get back, as Elizabeth said. It's essentially the airlines that you need to worry about, the absolute worst case scenario (which I don't think would happen) would be that you'd have to buy a new flight... hotels etc... are quite lenient with changes.

You could renew your passport now, in your maiden name, and then update it when you get back... the cost of ANOTHER new passport, would be less than a new airline ticket.

Considering what you've said though, I personally feel that you would be fine to travel in your married name.

Hitched supplier information: https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-honeymoons/jon-voyage_277229.htm