Passport along for the ride

i'm truly sorry for the loss of your mother, and what a wonderful and sweet way to cherish her memory and take "her" along with you! I adore your idea!
I recently found this out as I lost my brother last year also, but you can keep the passport as a momentum, without having to write VOID on it. Of course, as long as it is in date, there is potential for identity theft. It is also possible to send the passport back, have it cancelled and then returned to you (written explicitly in a letter). You don't have the time for that though. Perhaps you can carry a copy of your mother's death certificate for if you are questioned...? Not something you may want to do, but I agree with you on not wanting to deface her passport. Happy Travels!!

My condolences on the loss of your mother. I think it's a nice gesture to "take her along" on your trip. As long as you're not presenting her passport and requesting that it be stamped, I can't see why anyone would need to know that you're carrying it. Hope you have a nice trip.

So sorry to hear about your mom's passing away...

Your post made me teary-eyed because most of my trips to Europe have been with my mom...

I also think it's a lovely idea to, "take her along with you", on your trip.

I'd suggest you lock your suitcase whenever you leave your hotel room & that way her passport will be safe.

Have a wonderful trip! ;-)

That is a lovely gesture. My mother really loved to visit & see new places, but all of her travels were within the USA & Canada. She loved that we were able to travel to Europe. When my mom passed away, I received her watch. I wore it during my last four trips to Europe, and I really enjoyed the thought that I was bringing a part of her along to see Europe.

For her passport, could you just black out the expiration date year to invalidate it?

Thank you all for your thoughtful messages. Loss is such a universal experience, isn't it? I'll take your advice and keep the passport locked in my luggage/hotel safe. And I think I will feel OK blacking out the expiration dates as that area is quite small. Happy travels everyone.

Technically, it is illegal to deface a passport by altering any information.
My expired passports have a round punch-hole in them, at the level of the photo, which was done by passport officials.
I wouldn't touch your mother's passport at all. If you keep it in a secure place, you won't have to worry about it.

It is much easier to make counterfeit passports than it is to alter them so they can pass for the real thing. I doubt that anyone would steal your mother's passport.

I wouldn't worry about blacking anything out. Why do it?

...it is illegal to deface a passport by altering any information.....

That really only applies if you were intending to use it. Since you are not, there would be nothing illegal regardless of what you did to the passport.