Removing Used/Expired Visa Stickers from Passport
Jan 17, 2010, 1:16 am
#46
Join Date: May 2006
Location: MYF/CMA/SAN/YYZ/YKF
Programs: COdbaUA 1K MM, AA EXP, Bonbon Gold, GHA Titanium, Hertz PC, NEXUS and GE
Posts: 5,839
International traveler since 1982 and I have ALWAYS been stamped ente.ring the US on a US passport. NYC, ORD, MEM, DTW, SFO, DFW, MIA, BOS, IAD, MSP, PHL, ATL, RDU, DEN, HOU and CLT
They do not scan your passport visa pages. If you are in the US, you can send in your passport for renewal, but if you are not in the US and thus dealing with an embassy or consulate, then you don't send it in.
They do not scan your passport visa pages. If you are in the US, you can send in your passport for renewal, but if you are not in the US and thus dealing with an embassy or consulate, then you don't send it in.
I sent my passport in last week to get pages added for trip coming up later this month.
I paid the $60 expedite fee, and the $14.85 for return rush mail.
I sent the passport in at noon Tuesday 23 June. The passport should have arrived by noon Wednesday 24 June. New pages were added Friday 26 June. The passport was mailed from the passport agency on Friday 26 June by Priority Mail (not overnight). It arrived on 30 June.
I paid the $60 expedite fee, and the $14.85 for return rush mail.
I sent the passport in at noon Tuesday 23 June. The passport should have arrived by noon Wednesday 24 June. New pages were added Friday 26 June. The passport was mailed from the passport agency on Friday 26 June by Priority Mail (not overnight). It arrived on 30 June.
For what it's worth: entered Chile (SCL) earlier this year on a US tourist passport. Upon entry, two separate stations added two separate items to my passport:
1. I had to pay the "reciprocal" fee of $132 that is charged to all US citizens (as punishment for the fee the USA imposes on Chileans coming the other way). The courteous and efficient folks at the reciprocal-fee desk (an easy-to-miss station before the actual customs/immigration lines) stapled a half-page receipt on page 24 of my 24-page passport. Page 24 is one of the four "amendments and endorsements" pages at the end of the passport, and in my case it was blank. I also had several blank visa pages, but the Chileans put the receipt on page 24 anyway. They also put a one-inch "paid" stamp directly on page 24.
2. At immigration, I got an ordinary quarter-page entry stamp, which the officer neatly placed on a page which was already half full. When I later exited the country, immigration put the quarter-page exit stamp in the last remaining blank quarter-page immediately below the entry stamp.
So, to summarize: "reciprocal fee" stamp and receipt used most of page 24, but it wasn't a regular visa page anyway. The entry and exit stamps used a quarter-page each, and were placed on a page that was already half-full.
Hope this helps.
1. I had to pay the "reciprocal" fee of $132 that is charged to all US citizens (as punishment for the fee the USA imposes on Chileans coming the other way). The courteous and efficient folks at the reciprocal-fee desk (an easy-to-miss station before the actual customs/immigration lines) stapled a half-page receipt on page 24 of my 24-page passport. Page 24 is one of the four "amendments and endorsements" pages at the end of the passport, and in my case it was blank. I also had several blank visa pages, but the Chileans put the receipt on page 24 anyway. They also put a one-inch "paid" stamp directly on page 24.
2. At immigration, I got an ordinary quarter-page entry stamp, which the officer neatly placed on a page which was already half full. When I later exited the country, immigration put the quarter-page exit stamp in the last remaining blank quarter-page immediately below the entry stamp.
So, to summarize: "reciprocal fee" stamp and receipt used most of page 24, but it wasn't a regular visa page anyway. The entry and exit stamps used a quarter-page each, and were placed on a page that was already half-full.
Hope this helps.
I'm going to tag onto this post as its kind of relevant to my query.
First of all I'm a British passport holder, so we CANNOT add extra pages to our passports, therefore that is not an option.
Here's my situation. Like many people, may passport is quickly getting filled up with these full page sticky visas, especially from China.
I have noticed that these china visas are easy to peel off. My plan would be when my existing passport nearly runs out of space I will apply for a new passport (in the UK can hold two passports). When ever I travel to China I will use my new passport, but if I got to other countries I would use my old passport (with the Chinese visa stickers removed).
I presume this is probably a legal no no, but any other thoughts?
First of all I'm a British passport holder, so we CANNOT add extra pages to our passports, therefore that is not an option.
Here's my situation. Like many people, may passport is quickly getting filled up with these full page sticky visas, especially from China.
I have noticed that these china visas are easy to peel off. My plan would be when my existing passport nearly runs out of space I will apply for a new passport (in the UK can hold two passports). When ever I travel to China I will use my new passport, but if I got to other countries I would use my old passport (with the Chinese visa stickers removed).
I presume this is probably a legal no no, but any other thoughts?
Jan 17, 2010, 1:30 am
#47
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
(Sidebar note--I have 2 passports full of Chinese visas and not a single one will allow itself to be pulled off its page in the slightest. Yet I've heard this phenomenon from others, so go figure. Maybe you get the visa version with the cheap Chinese glue.
)
Jan 17, 2010, 8:28 pm
#48
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 2,068
I'd be pretty sure that's a no-no with the UK, but the risk is yours to take. I CAN tell you that you should NOT peel any China visa stickers out of the old passport, until you have received the new passport AND applied for and received a NEW CHINESE VISA in said new passport. Depending on what type/duration of visa you are trying to get, you may have to show or make copies of previous Chinese visa(s) as part of the application for the new one. Obviously, anything that had already been tampered with wouldn't be too good.
(Sidebar note--I have 2 passports full of Chinese visas and not a single one will allow itself to be pulled off its page in the slightest. Yet I've heard this phenomenon from others, so go figure. Maybe you get the visa version with the cheap Chinese glue. )
(Sidebar note--I have 2 passports full of Chinese visas and not a single one will allow itself to be pulled off its page in the slightest. Yet I've heard this phenomenon from others, so go figure. Maybe you get the visa version with the cheap Chinese glue.
)The Chinese visas issued in HK seem to be peelable, I can vouch for that (along with the Vietnamese and Indonesian visas in my passport).
Jan 18, 2010, 7:04 am
#49
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Doha, Qatar
Programs: Air Canada Aeroplan, Lufthansa Miles & More, Flying Blue, Hyatt Gold Passport
Posts: 1,894
My last one was not only "peelable", it twice fell out of my passport before I more securely glued it into place. It wasn't even as sticky as most post-it notes.
Jan 19, 2010, 7:21 pm
#50
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 9
FWIW...went to the Chinese Consulate in SF today to get visas...were rejected as we had removed a couple of old Indian visas! Were told we would have to get new passports...sending off for them tomorrow. There was just the tiniest bit of glue left on the pages...pretty upsetting. Now we have to get a new passport and 3 visas before our trip March 12...Hope we can do it.
Learn from our mistake...
DoriG
Learn from our mistake...
DoriG
Jan 24, 2010, 8:19 pm
#51
Guest
Posts: n/a
Not an answer to your question (sorry), but maybe of interest anyway: if you pay the reciprocity fee by credit card check your slip to ensure the correct amount has been deducted. There have been reports of substantial overcharging (e.g swapping the first two digits of the fee). If you're interested I can provide a link to the online forum with the reports. This, by the way, is very unusual behaviour for Chilean officials.
Jan 27, 2010, 1:02 pm
#52
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Arizona
Programs: DL Silver, US Silver, AA
Posts: 51
I just came back from GCM (Grand Cayman Islands). Travelled on a multi-leg journey. My passport had no empty pages, but several valid spaces for entry/exit stamps. Had no difficulty departing PHX to ATL. The next day, when I checked in again at ATL the Delta CSA thumbed through my passport and gave me an odd look and went to fetch his supervisor. With his supervisor at his side, the man (a very unfriendly, foreign man by the name of Mohammad) told me I cannot travel because I didn't have any blank pages in my passport. I went nuts, started hyperventilating because I had paid for a week at a the Ritz in Grand Cayman which was non-refundable. The Delta Supervisor informed me that she had to deny my boarding becasue GCM would refuse my entry and Delta would be charged $25,000 by the government. Is this true? I find it hard to believe. The insensitive, apathetic Delta Sup. blocked my ticket and nastily told me she had informed the gate not to board me.
With a panic attack ensuing, I tried to calm myself down among the throng of holiday travels. I collected my thoughts, looked at my friend travelling with me and said: "Let's go! We're going through security, we're going to Grand Cayman! I have an idea!" We meandered through the medallion/FC security line, boarded the airtrain and headed to E concourse. I was almost crying and I never cry; I was genuinely scared.
Arriving at E concourse, I hastily dashed for the CRC (now the "Sky Lounge"). Upon entering, I grabbed the strongest drink available and a mug of boiling water. Why the boiling water, you ask!!!? Herein lies my grand idea and providential solution!
My friend and I quickly occupied one of the cozy, private business workstations in the Delta lounge and I pulled out my mini swiss army knife and my passport. I realized that all I needed was one empty page. All that was stopping me from going to GCM was an expired, full page Chilean student visa from college a few years back.
In a most precise and surgical manner, my friend and I opened my passport to the infamous page and placed it face up, with its underside resting taughtly about the coffee mug. With minutes until the final boarding call, we noticed the hot steam immediately permeating the visa page and the Chilean visa began to just peal right off. I was gasping with relief with each gentle pull as the fresh, unscathed page underneath began to reveal itself. The procedure felt as arduous as neurosurgery.
We polished off the rest of our drinks and raced to the gate. As the GA scanned my BP, an audible warning beep was emitted, tantamount to the exit seating assignment warning. The GA went to her station and paged a supervisor, a RedCoat, who was on scene within minutes. The Sup could not understand why they would deny me boarding for passport issues. She proceeded to call a DHS Customs agent who, with gun and all, came and examined my passport and concluded that there was nothing wrong and I was good to go. The supervisor extended her apologies to me and documented the incident for investigation of this Mohammed character and the landside supervisor at check-in. She was embarrassed and bumped me up to FC for the 3 hour flight to GCM.
All in all, it was by far the worst travel nightmare I've ever experienced. In the end, if you need an extra page in your passport, NEVER simply pull the visa out because it will rip the page and render your passport patently mutilated. Use steam and it comes off like "butter!"
Cheers,
Jordan
With a panic attack ensuing, I tried to calm myself down among the throng of holiday travels. I collected my thoughts, looked at my friend travelling with me and said: "Let's go! We're going through security, we're going to Grand Cayman! I have an idea!" We meandered through the medallion/FC security line, boarded the airtrain and headed to E concourse. I was almost crying and I never cry; I was genuinely scared.
Arriving at E concourse, I hastily dashed for the CRC (now the "Sky Lounge"). Upon entering, I grabbed the strongest drink available and a mug of boiling water. Why the boiling water, you ask!!!? Herein lies my grand idea and providential solution!
My friend and I quickly occupied one of the cozy, private business workstations in the Delta lounge and I pulled out my mini swiss army knife and my passport. I realized that all I needed was one empty page. All that was stopping me from going to GCM was an expired, full page Chilean student visa from college a few years back.
In a most precise and surgical manner, my friend and I opened my passport to the infamous page and placed it face up, with its underside resting taughtly about the coffee mug. With minutes until the final boarding call, we noticed the hot steam immediately permeating the visa page and the Chilean visa began to just peal right off. I was gasping with relief with each gentle pull as the fresh, unscathed page underneath began to reveal itself. The procedure felt as arduous as neurosurgery.
We polished off the rest of our drinks and raced to the gate. As the GA scanned my BP, an audible warning beep was emitted, tantamount to the exit seating assignment warning. The GA went to her station and paged a supervisor, a RedCoat, who was on scene within minutes. The Sup could not understand why they would deny me boarding for passport issues. She proceeded to call a DHS Customs agent who, with gun and all, came and examined my passport and concluded that there was nothing wrong and I was good to go. The supervisor extended her apologies to me and documented the incident for investigation of this Mohammed character and the landside supervisor at check-in. She was embarrassed and bumped me up to FC for the 3 hour flight to GCM.
All in all, it was by far the worst travel nightmare I've ever experienced. In the end, if you need an extra page in your passport, NEVER simply pull the visa out because it will rip the page and render your passport patently mutilated. Use steam and it comes off like "butter!"
Cheers,
Jordan
Jan 27, 2010, 1:32 pm
#53
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 280
I just came back from GCM (Grand Cayman Islands). Travelled on a multi-leg journey. My passport had no empty pages, but several valid spaces for entry/exit stamps. Had no difficulty departing PHX to ATL. The next day, when I checked in again at ATL the Delta CSA thumbed through my passport and gave me an odd look and went to fetch his supervisor. With his supervisor at his side, the man (a very unfriendly, foreign man by the name of Mohammad) told me I cannot travel because I didn't have any blank pages in my passport. I went nuts, started hyperventilating because I had paid for a week at a the Ritz in Grand Cayman which was non-refundable. The Delta Supervisor informed me that she had to deny my boarding becasue GCM would refuse my entry and Delta would be charged $25,000 by the government. Is this true? I find it hard to believe. The insensitive, apathetic Delta Sup. blocked my ticket and nastily told me she had informed the gate not to board me.
With a panic attack ensuing, I tried to calm myself down among the throng of holiday travels. I collected my thoughts, looked at my friend travelling with me and said: "Let's go! We're going through security, we're going to Grand Cayman! I have an idea!" We meandered through the medallion/FC security line, boarded the airtrain and headed to E concourse. I was almost crying and I never cry; I was genuinely scared.
Arriving at E concourse, I hastily dashed for the CRC (now the "Sky Lounge"). Upon entering, I grabbed the strongest drink available and a mug of boiling water. Why the boiling water, you ask!!!? Herein lies my grand idea and providential solution!
My friend and I quickly occupied one of the cozy, private business workstations in the Delta lounge and I pulled out my mini swiss army knife and my passport. I realized that all I needed was one empty page. All that was stopping me from going to GCM was an expired, full page Chilean student visa from college a few years back.
In a most precise and surgical manner, my friend and I opened my passport to the infamous page and placed it face up, with its underside resting taughtly about the coffee mug. With minutes until the final boarding call, we noticed the hot steam immediately permeating the visa page and the Chilean visa began to just peal right off. I was gasping with relief with each gentle pull as the fresh, unscathed page underneath began to reveal itself. The procedure felt as arduous as neurosurgery.
We polished off the rest of our drinks and raced to the gate. As the GA scanned my BP, an audible warning beep was emitted, tantamount to the exit seating assignment warning. The GA went to her station and paged a supervisor, a RedCoat, who was on scene within minutes. The Sup could not understand why they would deny me boarding for passport issues. She proceeded to call a DHS Customs agent who, with gun and all, came and examined my passport and concluded that there was nothing wrong and I was good to go. The supervisor extended her apologies to me and documented the incident for investigation of this Mohammed character and the landside supervisor at check-in. She was embarrassed and bumped me up to FC for the 3 hour flight to GCM.
All in all, it was by far the worst travel nightmare I've ever experienced. In the end, if you need an extra page in your passport, NEVER simply pull the visa out because it will rip the page and render your passport patently mutilated. Use steam and it comes off like "butter!"
Cheers,
Jordan
With a panic attack ensuing, I tried to calm myself down among the throng of holiday travels. I collected my thoughts, looked at my friend travelling with me and said: "Let's go! We're going through security, we're going to Grand Cayman! I have an idea!" We meandered through the medallion/FC security line, boarded the airtrain and headed to E concourse. I was almost crying and I never cry; I was genuinely scared.
Arriving at E concourse, I hastily dashed for the CRC (now the "Sky Lounge"). Upon entering, I grabbed the strongest drink available and a mug of boiling water. Why the boiling water, you ask!!!? Herein lies my grand idea and providential solution!
My friend and I quickly occupied one of the cozy, private business workstations in the Delta lounge and I pulled out my mini swiss army knife and my passport. I realized that all I needed was one empty page. All that was stopping me from going to GCM was an expired, full page Chilean student visa from college a few years back.
In a most precise and surgical manner, my friend and I opened my passport to the infamous page and placed it face up, with its underside resting taughtly about the coffee mug. With minutes until the final boarding call, we noticed the hot steam immediately permeating the visa page and the Chilean visa began to just peal right off. I was gasping with relief with each gentle pull as the fresh, unscathed page underneath began to reveal itself. The procedure felt as arduous as neurosurgery.
We polished off the rest of our drinks and raced to the gate. As the GA scanned my BP, an audible warning beep was emitted, tantamount to the exit seating assignment warning. The GA went to her station and paged a supervisor, a RedCoat, who was on scene within minutes. The Sup could not understand why they would deny me boarding for passport issues. She proceeded to call a DHS Customs agent who, with gun and all, came and examined my passport and concluded that there was nothing wrong and I was good to go. The supervisor extended her apologies to me and documented the incident for investigation of this Mohammed character and the landside supervisor at check-in. She was embarrassed and bumped me up to FC for the 3 hour flight to GCM.
All in all, it was by far the worst travel nightmare I've ever experienced. In the end, if you need an extra page in your passport, NEVER simply pull the visa out because it will rip the page and render your passport patently mutilated. Use steam and it comes off like "butter!"
Cheers,
Jordan
Jan 27, 2010, 3:09 pm
#55
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
I am quite often out of blank pages but there's always somewhere that can be stamped/overstamped or even stickered over if some country's officials care to do that. While I've never had airlines make a stink out of it, I have had some country's officials either annoyed by it or entertained by it. When I can, I still default to getting additional sections of pages in my passport in so much as a given passport can handle it. [Got another section of pages in my most recent ordinary "extra-pages-at-start" US passport just last week and this is probably it for this passport before it falls apart.] I always do this outside of the US because I don't like the idea of paying for additional pages.
Jan 27, 2010, 3:33 pm
#56
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,849
If your passport fills up too quickly and you find that immigration officers are stamping blank pages when plenty of space exists on other pages that already contain stamps, I suggest sticking smaller post-it notes on a few blank pages, perhaps with a notation, "FOR VISAS", or something similar. Don't just paperclip the blank pages together because that paperclip is bound to be removed.
Jan 27, 2015, 11:04 am
#58
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,145
Looking back in my old expired passport, my last no stamp entry was DTW December 2007. I have no US stamps in that passport at all, averaging 2 intl. trips per year for the 10 years. Mostly DTW and ATL entry, possibly MSP or LAX, IIRC, and I have to recall as there are no stamps. 
Was I lucky or special?
I have been stamped since. Perhaps it is a new thing to use up your pages faster.
Was I lucky or special?I have been stamped since. Perhaps it is a new thing to use up your pages faster.
Not the typical tourist one they remove when you leave, right? I've had them staple that one in over other stamps, but then they take it out at exit passport control. This is a work or long-time visa, or a visa for a non-visa-on-arrival country?
Jan 27, 2015, 1:30 pm
#59
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
I know I'm responding to an old post, but given the poster is still active on FT... anyway, did you have GE at the time? Once I added GE/Nexus, my interactions with US agents never involve them stamping my passport (same for Canadian ones). Occasionally I have to speak to them--kiosks down, or a big "X" or "O" on my slip from the kiosk--but they stamp the slip, not my passport, when I do.