inpd

Yes, but its not damaged or altered. It's just old (my passport is a 10 year variety) and having been bent a few times it no longer scans but is perfectly legible (i.e. picture of me is clear, all info is clear).

corncob

If it's bent enough to not scan, that could be considered damage.

MSPeconomist

If AA really imposes a six months expiration rule, this is stricter than required by many foreign governments.

ashkale

Only in Nordic countries I have found a passport issuing office at most airports and clearly marked issue of documents/ Passports in case of Damage or Invalidity, amazing understanding and respect for travelers. The issuing agencies around the world cut corners with materials used for passports and some agents might deem them damaged resulting in just Unnecessary hassle and costs for the traveler without whom both the passport and the agent would be irrelevant in the first place.

JDiver

And less strict than some others, which may require you to have six months' remaining validity from the last day you may remain on your visa.

GUWonder

This year I've noticed a big uptick in AAgent incompetence and delays (whether related to incompetence or not is somewhat less clear at times) at AA's international gateway hub check-in desks -- for main cabin -- when it comes to the hub check-in AAgents handling dual-citizens or dual-residents flying between places where they are citizens and/or legal residents. Even when the MRZ scans fine at various other kiosks. Less of an issue at JFK and MIA than at ORD and DFW.

The US has no enforceable legal penalty applicable to a recognized US citizen entering and exiting the US without a passport. But CBP will want to confirm identity and citizenship status still.

If the airline wants to create its own rules about which passports are applicable for international travel, they may try to do so. But look at what happened to Kuwait Airways for having its own rules about passports for travel between the US and UK.

Those emergency passport offices in Nordic country airports are a dying breed, largely courtesy of the US Visa Waiver Program; and the passports they issue are no longer applicable for travel to/from say the US and various other parts of the world.

The State Department doesn't generally consider that to be material damage of the sort that puts into doubt the authenticity of the US passport for identity and citizenship recognition purposes. This would otherwise come up as a far more frequent basis to frustrate passport renewal applicants than is currently the case.

There are ways to scan things that have been bent enough not to scan sometimes before.

Either way, a move to US passports having polycarbonate biodata pages will make passports' machine-readable zone section more resilient against bending.

inpd

The check in agent also said I was responsible for entering the country and she wasn't sure if I'd be allowed to re-enter. Am I missing something? Did they tighten up the re-entry rules since all these attacks have been happening?

Lakeviewsteve

My last passport was issued in Brussels, Belgium and there is no option to scan anything. That TA can shove it.

JDiver

In a word, crAAp (assuming you mean re-entering the USA).

inpd

So when I say scan, I don't mean a special chip or anything. At the bottom of the cover sheet is some special coded symbols that the scanners can pick up. It's more a swipe than a scan and I think all passports have them.

GUWonder

That is the machine-readable zone/MRZ. It has your passport info with the >>>> kind of notations.

Did the governmental passport requirements for being admissible to travel to and enter the relevant countries change in recent months? Not generally. If you mention the countries involved in the itinerary and which type of passports/residency docs your using, then the answer would be clearer.

inpd

It was with regard to re-entering the US. She said AA allowed me to board the out-going leg since I was a citizen of the country is was to land in. She said that I should be award that I may have trouble re-entering the country since my passport can't be swiped.

GUWonder

Even as it can be swiped or manually entered, the AAgent is playing Halloween witch with the scare-mongering. If only it were meant to be entertaining.

Unless there is doubt about your identity and US citizenship, you are admissible to the US upon arrival to a US port of entry. While the airlines can make a stink about anything or nothing at all when it comes to international travel -- even as the risks for airlines are different than the risks for passengers -- odds are that you would be ok. Unless your unexpired passport looks clearly damaged or tampered/fraudulent, it is valid for US use unless and until revoked/seized.

wandering_fred

While my 8 year old US passport hasn't been able to be swiped for the last seven years, the immigration facilities than place it on a glass plate and scan a la a fax machine have no difficulty at all.

Shortly after I got it, the information was moved from the inside front cover page so some one else likely had the same issue(s).

If the incoming immigration agents in the intervening time had issues with the "damage" they haven't said anything to me except "Welcome back to the USA"

Happy wandering

Fred

GUWonder

The MRZ swipe scanning problems are still taking place even with the US passports that have the MRZ on the non-cover pages. While the MRZ itself now holds up better, recurring problems are still taking place with swipe scanning. Not a show stopper, generally, unless mutilation or some other extensive damage is involved.

New passport design is out this coming year. And out goes the additional passport page insert service. MRZ scanning will still be involved and problems with it will still happen from time to time.