I have carried my passport in my back pocket for the last several years and it has become quite worn. All of the pages are still intact and sewn together, and everything is still legible, although faded/dirty looking. Planning a trip to Europe in 5 weeks, need to know if I need a new one. Thanks in advance for any help.
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1075 posts
are any of the key pages with information ripped? A colleague of mine went to the U.S. Consulate here with his passport to have his signature notarized. There was a small tear on the page with his photo. They confiscated it on the spot, said the tear made it invalid, and made him pay for a reissued passport. Which he also had to pay to have expedited for an upcoming trip. The saga entertained us for several weeks. He was very annoyed.
So I can't say for sure, but they can be picky.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
I gotsta know- why has it been in your pocket in Wyoming? Worried about that Montana border crossing? lol
Posted by
Poulsbo, WA, US
223 posts
Mine was inside my neck pouch for a few weeks in Italy and got wet (sweat). Consequently, on the way back it looked very poor. They did hold me for 10 minutes or so after landing back in Seattle but didnt give me a hard time boarding the plane. I could envision it being a problem if you had a hard @$$ customs person. Might be a good idea to replace it if you have time and file it under "why take a chance"
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23557 posts
Wow, never thought about that. Both our passports are really beat up and ragged just from constant wear and tear. The cover has been taped and the back cover has duct tape on it. Kind of bent into a slight curve from the money belt. No one has ever said anything about the condition of the passport. As long as the inside ID is readable that is one of the last thing I would worry about it.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
I have been taking my passport to Europe every summer for 3 to 4 weeks. I have put a plastic passport cover on it and I always carry it in my neck money belt, It looks as good as new today after just returning from 3 weeks in Turkey.
Posted by
Las Cruces, NM, United States
136 posts
This may be a tad late to help you, but one of the last free services for passports is the addition of new pages. If you use it a lot and need extra pages for visas, for example, you can mail it off and they add new pages (a, b, c instead of 1, 2, 3) sewn into the middle. This could be a way to check if it is okay. I did use the service on my previous passport...just got a new one.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Every passport I've had was beat up a lot more than what's been described here when it expired. It always worked.
Posted by
Arlington, WA
993 posts
My daughters passport looked fine except for the bit around her photo. She was advised to get it replaced saying someone might think the photo had been switched.
Posted by
OP
gillette, wy, usa
2 posts
thanks for all the info! I ended up sending off for a new one. At least next time I will know better. As for why I have carried it for so long, 2nd form of ID :] Thanks again for the advice, and HAPPY TRAVELS!
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
A previous version of mine got hot/sweaty too (before I started using a ziplock inside my moneybelt) and the picture page was a little delaminated. It was slightly bent too but otherwise in good condition.
I never had a problem being delayed due to its poor condition. But I was always worried someone would think I had tampered with it and am glad to have a nice new one.
The new ones have digitized photos to make it harder to tamper with, not to mention much more attractive artwork on the visa pages.