In an effort to alleviate travel related difficulties and the lengthy appointment backlogs created by the global COVID-19 pandemic at US Embassies and Consulates worldwide, the State Department in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security announced that “U.S. citizens currently overseas whose passports expired on or after January 1, 2020, may be able to use their expired U.S. passport for direct return travel to the United States until December 31, 2021.” The State Department’s new exception for expired passports applies to adults, whose documents are valid for 10 years, and to children, whose passports expire after 5 years.