Slightly Damaged US passport
Replies: 10 - Last Post: Nov 18, 2012 8:26 PM Last Post By: uecker_seats
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Slightly Damaged US passport
Hi Travelers .. I was hoping some of you could help me with a concern of mine. After an exstensive study abroad trip across Europe, My US passport has become slightly worn. Since then I have also made trips to Mexico and the Domonican Republic (without issue). My passport is showing obvious signs of wear and tear. However the information page is still fully intact and lamination is still down. The upper corner of the first page is also torn (very small). When the airport ticket lady took my passport last year before going to the Dominican she told me that it would not get me into Mexico. Therefore, after planning this trip to Mexico on Nov 26, I took it to a post office and they told me that it was fine I didn't need a new one. As my trip is impending however I'm getting more and more nervous about being denied entry into Mexico. Has any US travelers had any experience with a less than pristine passport?Thank you soo much!
2
My passports get pretty messed up by the time ten years rolls around--sweat, rain, handling, improper storage, and other forms of abuse. I've had people at borders express mystification--and sometimes actual anger--that I would so mistreat my passport, but this has never slowed me down entering or leaving a country. That includes Mexico, along with quite a few others. If anyone gives you a hard time, just agree with them: "Yeah, you're right, I know. I should take better care of it."Mark
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Thanks Guys! You made me feel alot better. I've heard some stories of people being turned away by the airline people. I guess thats what mad me nervous. Most of those ( I did a google search) instances though seemed to be from Canada. I'll keep my fingers crossed and be as polite as possible :)6
There was a lot of talk about this about a year ago in Canada when Westjet started refusing boarding people if they had damaged passports - for example, see here: http://www.moneyville.ca/blog/post/1108643--check-your-passport-for-damage-before-you-travelIt appears that WestJet had got caught out by Mexican immigration officers making them return passengers with water-damaged passports. The issue seems to have died down but I guess there's still a small chance that it's a problem.
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If its scanable you should be good to go. Mine is at replacement time now and looks rough, it got me in to Mexico last june no problem.
