EmbassyFile catches expiring passports in four places: the passport expiry date is calculated for you, the passenger list flags and filters passports expiring within six months, the dashboard counts passports that are close to expiry or already expired, and the embassy file screen refuses a passport with less validity than your office's minimum. The aim is that a short passport is found at the desk, not at the counter.
A passport with too little time left is the most common and most avoidable reason a file is turned back. The worker has to renew, the file waits for the new book, and anything already done against the old one may have to be redone. Every check below exists to find that passport earlier.
How is the expiry date worked out?
On the passenger form you enter the passport's issue date and its duration, ten years or five. The expiry date is calculated from those two and is not typed by hand, so it cannot be mistyped.
It is calculated the way the passport itself counts: validity includes the day of issue, so a ten-year passport expires the day before the tenth anniversary. That detail matters because every check below compares against this date, and a date that is a day late can put a file on the wrong side of a cut-off.
Where do expiring passports show up?
On the passenger list
The Passport Expiry column turns red for any passport expiring within the next six months. There is also a filter, "Passport expiring within 6 months", which narrows the list to exactly those passengers. That is the list worth working through each week.
On the dashboard
The dashboard has an alerts panel with three counts:
- Passports Expiring — passports whose expiry falls within the next 90 days.
- Passports Already Expired — expiry date already in the past.
- Visas Expiring — visas expiring within 30 days on files still at the ManPower desk.
These are positions as of today, so they do not change when you set a date range on the rest of the dashboard.
At embassy file assembly
When a passport is added to an embassy file, it is checked against your minimum passport validity. If it has less time left than that minimum, it is refused there and then, with the reason on screen while the passport is still in your hand.
The minimum is set to one year by default. Your office can change it, or switch the check off, under Site Settings, Eligibility Rules. Confirm what the embassy currently requires and set the figure to match; the software enforces your setting, it does not decide the rule.
Why check in so many places?
Because each check catches the problem at a different cost.
- The six-month list catches it weeks ahead, when the fix is telling the worker to start a renewal.
- The dashboard count keeps the number in front of whoever opens the application each morning.
- The embassy file check is the last line at your desk: the batch leaves without a file that would have been refused anyway.
A single alert would be easy to ignore on a busy day. Three views of the same date, at three moments in the file's life, are harder to miss.
What it does not do
EmbassyFile does not contact the passport office or track renewal applications. It works from the dates entered on the passenger record, so a renewed passport needs its new issue date and duration entered for the alerts to clear.
Passport expiry tracking is included on every plan, with a 30-day free trial.
Key points
- The expiry date is calculated from the issue date and duration, not typed.
- The passenger list highlights and filters passports expiring within six months.
- The dashboard counts passports expiring within 90 days and those already expired.
- The embassy file screen refuses passports below your minimum validity, one year by default and editable.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find all passengers whose passports are about to expire?
Open the passenger list and turn on the "Passport expiring within 6 months" filter. The list narrows to exactly those passengers, and their expiry dates are shown in red.
Can I change the minimum passport validity EmbassyFile checks?
Yes. The minimum passport validity, and whether the check runs at all, are under Site Settings, Eligibility Rules. It starts at one year; set it to whatever the embassy currently requires.
Why does EmbassyFile show a different expiry date than I expected?
It counts the day of issue as part of the validity, so a ten-year passport expires the day before its tenth anniversary. Compare it with the date printed in the passport, which counts the same way.
Does EmbassyFile renew passports or check with the passport office?
No. It tracks the dates on your records. When a passport is renewed, enter the new issue date and duration on the passenger record and the alerts update.