(edit title) Should I renew my US passport before my trip in EU To finland, estonia and Lithuania Options

[SeattleLove]

Hey..so I came here in early January and applied for my Swedish ID on Jan 10. I still have not received the letter saying to come pick it up (its been 18 days)...but I wanted to renew my US passport which expires May 29...but it takes 3 weeks or so..and my friend is visiting me at the beginning of March and wants to go to Estonia, Finland and Lithuania for a week (so from like March 8-March 14 roughly)..so if my ID comes in another week..it will be cutting it close with the passport being renewed in time.

...can I travel in the EU when my passport will expire at the end of May? I'm on a 2 yr residence/work permit in Sweden.. I know by then I will have my Swedish ID..but I have not renewed yet because then I will not have any identification to pick up my ID when it comes soon..

[rtharper]

Within the Schengen Area, you don't need to worry at all, as there are no border controls, and you will be in the Schengen Area if you are confining yourself to those countries. Your passport is important as proof of identity, so have it along, but you don't need to worry about getting blocked at an immigration checkpoint.

As a side note, you should never depend on travelling within Europe without your passport, anyway, unless you have a national ID card from an EU country (I assume, though, that at the moment you are not an EU citizen). Many countries have laws requiring that a person carry either a national ID card or passport with them at all times, and many hotels/etc will expect you to be able to produce it regardless of how you entered the country.