FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Why do passport numbers change? What is the renewal process really?
Old Nov 1, 2015 | 6:23 pm
  #2  
Kiraly
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: YVR
Posts: 243
Originally Posted by worldiswide
Just thinking.. as I have to renew my passport..and where I need to update the number. . Airline sites, global entry..any place else? Why does the number need to change. Does the number changing mean it's a more or less secure document. If it didn't change, it would make it easier to connect visas from an older passport and maybe no need to carry multiples. And what happens in renewal? Not the physical book, but what info is validated? Why does it take so long? I've had passports for a long time, and I don't like to be without..so I'm asking. .

Passport numbers are like the VIN numbers in cars. The number is attached to the car, not the owner. When you get rid of the car, the number goes along with it. You don't transfer the number to a new car. The passport is the same; it's not your number, it's the passport's number.
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