hfly

This should become a sticky

Every 2-3 months or so since I have been on FT there has been a thread started asking about adding pages to a US passport. While of course it is better to do this abroad at an Embassy or Consulate, there has always been some disagreement between posters who have had 5, 6, 7, 8 or more inserts added and those who insist that there is a hard limit of either 2 or 3 sets of pages. Part of the reason that peoples experiences vary is because many US foreign service officers are either 1) Lazy, 2) Lie, or 3) - more charitably, do not know how to read the English language.

Personally I have had consulates that will issue me two books at a time without my asking after already having 6, and others that claim that they are not allowed to issue more than three (which is a lie).

Here folks are the regulations as written in the US Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual (pay particular attention to article c (my summary at the end):

a. Each set of supplemental visa page inserts (also known as "visa page
inserts") adds an additional 24 pages to a passport. They extend the
useful life of a passport as an accommodation to individuals who travel
frequently to countries requiring visas.

b. There is no cost to the applicant to place visa page inserts in a passport.

c. The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) generally recommends adding no
more than two sets of visa page inserts to a passport for the reason that
the added thickness may result in damage to the binding of the book
during its validity. (This two set rule applies to both legacy passports and
e-passports.) Passports that are well cared for, with very little wear and
tear, may have a third visa page insert added without affecting the
integrity of the book. A fourth visa page insert is not recommended.

d. Ideally visa page inserts should be placed between unused visa pages or
ones containing entry/exit stamps only. Unless it is unavoidable, do not
place inserts between pages with valid visas on them or at the
endorsement page at the back of the book.

e. Legacy (non e-passport) visa page inserts are no longer being produced
by the Government Printing Office (GPO). However, some passport
agencies/center and posts abroad may still have some in their inventory.
Until you exhaust your supply, you should continue to use the legacy visa
page inserts in your inventory for applicants who request additional visa
pages in their legacy passports. For those passport agencies/centers and
posts abroad that do not have any legacy visa pages, e-passport visa
pages can be added to eligible legacy books.

f. Use the e-Passport visa page inserts for applicants who request additional
visa pages in their e-Passports.
NOTE: If you inadvertently run out of the e-passport style visa page
inserts, but still have on hand a supply of the legacy visa page insert
pages, you may use the legacy visa page insert so as not to
inconvenience the applicant. This should be a very rare occurrence.
Agency/center management and post consular management should
ensure that they have a sufficient supply of e-Passport visa page inserts
and corresponding supplemental foils (posts only) in stock at all times.
Supplemental visa page inserts cannot be added to any Emergency
Photodigitized Passports (EPDPs) issued by posts. Bearers of EPDP
passports must instead apply for a new passport.

Consular agents can no longer add visa page inserts to passports because
they do not have access to the controlled supplemental endorsement foils
or the American Citizen Services (ACS) system required to process the
foils.

Applicants’ names must be cleared in the Consular Lookout and Support
System (CLASS) before a visa page insert may be added to a passport.

As written 2, or 3 sets is a RECOMMENDATION, not a hard limit, as insisted on by many younger Foreign Service officers. I find the best way of dealing with a difficult one to ask them their name and then ask, "So Mr. XXX are you in fact saying that it is the policy of the Department of State to inhibit my right as an American citizen to travel freely when and where I want", if they insist that they can rapidly turn around a new passport for you state, "So the DoS will obtain and pay for X and Y visa for my new passport, as the ones I have in my current passport are still perfectly valid"