KU104

So stupidly I returned from a trip completely exhausted and left my passport in my backpack. My backpack somehow picked up some oily/greasy substance on it and I decided to wash it the next morning. Half way through the rinse (soap included) I felt my passport in the pouch and my heart literally stopped.

The damage to my passport is as follows, it's now puffed up after it dried, but the visas (UK, Japan, SA, China) are all fine. The main information page is fine but a bit wrinkled, however the pages with stamps on them resemble a childs painting on some pages not all, think finger painting, or are just slightly runny stamps on some pages.

I haven't traveled since and due to a shortage of passports here in Kuwait and long wait times for a new one, I can't get a new one in time for my trips to South Korea. I don't require a visa for my Kuwaiti passport, but I am worried of being denied entry. The Korean Embassy here saw my passport and told me to get a new one if I can. I told them that the Ministry responsible for issuing passports deem my case not urgent and so don't need to issue a new one until mid-September (about a month after my return), and I tried obtaining a letter from them stating its fine for travel but to no avail. They told me they don't know if it is fine to travel and it is up to the immigration officer in Korea to see if I can be allowed or not.

Anybody have an experience of passing through immigration at ICN with a damaged passport? Did they go through any special procedures or face any problems there?

Thanks in advance

Yoshi212

Honestly I'd be worried about denied boarding which would stop you from all other potential issues. Contact the passport agency again about an emergency replacement and tell them the South Korean embassy advised replacement.
You're in a tough stop because of the current situation that you stated, but you should definitely seek replacement. I found ICN to be very precise by Asia standards. If the passport doesn't look good handed in I would expect issues and that is if you get past check-in.

Jarap123

I'm sorting all our documents out and have just noticed the laminate is coming away a tiny bit at the right bottom hand side of my passport no more than a few MM. I've weighted it under some heavy books to smooth it out, it's the most tiniest bit but I'm so worried they will deny me travel, it's a family holiday silly of me not to check beforehand I'm traveling on Thursday to Cyprus thanks for advice X the passport is biometric so surely they can easily tell it hasn't been tampered with? All details will match the chip?

televisor

It probably depends on the kind of passport you have. In your case you should be fine: I haven't had any issues with the corner peeling in a similar fashion: it's a passport where the photo is printed as part of the data page AND my passport has the "biometric" chip which as you mentioned contains a digitalised copy of the data page (which is what most European border agents seem to care about, they barely look at the data page, but they do wait for the passport to scan - US border agents on the other hand look at the actual photo, I've not really paid attention in most other countries).

If you had a passport with a (separate/physical) photo glued into the laminate page and/or without a chip, you might have more issues, but this isn't something you need to worry about here.

(Note there are all kinds of watermarks and UV markings in modern passports, so either way it should be fairly obvious that it's not modified, even if there's a little edge damage.)

oneworld82

Hi,

my wife, baby, and I are scheduled to travel on Thursday afternoon to Europe on Lufthansa. Last night my daughter got her hands on my wife's passport, and she ripped the information page at the very base. The page is still attached (barely, 4/5 of the page is ripped), and the information page is intact. I am torn on what to do, I made an appointment with the local passport agency but do you think the passport would still be valid for travel as it is?
thanks

wrp96

I definitely think that the info page barely holding on would be considered a significant tear and require replacement. I wouldn't risk it especially when flying with a child.

oneworld82

Thanks, I will go to the office tomorrow am and see - hopefully they can replace it in 48 hours :-/

TWA884

Your wife, not you, will have to go to apply for the replacement passport. The passport agency can have the new passport ready the same day.

Often1

Just want to be certain that you mean the State Department's own agency at 1100 Commerce St. These folks can replace the passport in a few hours.

As others note, it will need to be your wife in person, not you. She will need all of the forms properly filled out (they can all be filled out online and then printed), the proper photos (don't try to save a few bucks, get them done by a passport photo place), the damaged passport, and a physical printout of the e-ticket receipt showing the impending travel.

Just isn't worth the hassle of chancing it.

oneworld82

Of course, my wife will be the one going

Box10

Do you need to file a police report on your child to document damage to your passport???

So that they cannot blame your wife for destruction of her own passport

flyerCO

Who cares who damaged it. They don't care, the only time they might is if it's stolen, and even then they usually don't care. Regardless there's nothing to report the damage wasn't criminal, thus the police could charge you with wasting police resources for such nonsense.

GUWonder

Not required. It's not a US crime for a young child to damage a US passport; and even when done by adults, it's most frequently not a crime.

If I were in this situation, I'd prepare and go in person to a US Passport Agency office this morning and get a new passport by close of business today.

Barborka

Hi guys, do you think the state of my passport will get me to my destination? As currently away from home country I cant get replacement and I am flying from Europe to USA in 7 days. My dog managed to get in hold of my passport after I left it on the sofa unattended for few minutes. The bio page with all my details is okay, no damaged to text or picture...just the plastic page at the bottom is little bit marked by my dog's teeth! and of course all the other pages are chewed at the corners but luckily all numbers, text.. everything is okay. I was also thinking of getting passport case but as I will probably have to take it out of the case it wont help me much... Tell me please I will be okay because I wont be sleeping until my departure Thanks!

Silver Fox

Potentially there are two problems: one is the airline accepting it and letting you board, and the second is going to be US immigration. I would say that as it looks like the corner of the photo page is damaged there is a high chance they may think that this is evidence of tampering.