Passport Queries

Please note that all students and adults travelling to America need authorisation to travel. This is gained by the ESTA form. The form lasts for 2 years or until the passport that it is connected to expires, which ever is the sooner.

Your passport needs only to be indate for the time in the USA. So it is perfectly fine to have a passport that expires on the 18th February 2012. The only slight anoyance is that the 14$ ESTA would also then expire. So unless you plan to travel to the US again in the next 12 -24 months then there is no need to replace your passport. Here is an extract from the fco :-

Does my British passport have to be valid for six months beyond my date of departure from the United States?
No, if your passport is not valid for at least six months beyond your date of departure from the United States, it will not affect your eligibility to travel. The United States has an agreement with the United Kingdom automatically extending the validity of a passport for six months past the passport's expiration date. Therefore, your passport need remain valid only for the duration of your stay in the United States.
If you are travelling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program and your passport is not valid for 90 days, you will be admitted into the United States until the date on which the passport expires.

Please ensure your passport photocopies are in school along with your valid ESTA form asap.