Here's an update. I went to Buenos Aires and Milan consulates this month and was told that they can no longer add a fourth insert. A very nice employee of the Milan consulate suggested that I get a second passport. So I got one. The passport was issued in three days (through an expedited service in DC) by the State Department and not by a local Passport Office.

So, I have a question for those of you who have a second valid US passport. Since the passport is valid only for two years and has an endorsement on the last page (about two-year validity), have you had strange looks or questions from foreign immigration officials?

Can I use it interchangeably with my principal passport or should I use it only when my principal passport is not available?

Thanks for your advice.

What about embassies in Central America?

Sometimes these embassies have so many locals new Americans that the level of service isn't very good.

Any experiences there?

Peregrine, those missions are out of date. As of three months ago all missions were told NOT to continue discouraging amendments beyond three sections as DoS does NOT want any additional unnecessary passport applications for the foreseeable future. Methinks they were just to lazy to do it as I strongly suspect that they couldn't be hassled to scan every page of your passport. As I have stated on other threads on this subject I have witnessed that with every additional amendment that I get it takes an additional 15 minutes to get the passport returned, the only logical explanation is that they are scanning all stamps. Personally as stated on another thread I recently was given TWO additions which brings me up to EIGHT in my current passport (over 4 years to go) at a certain Asian consulate, without haveing asked for the second. When I asked why, they said it was for my convenience as I obviously needed them and they want to avoid having people apply for new passports at the moment. The funny thing is that the last year and a half or so I have been making immigration officers cram stamps into every possible space as I was a bit nervous about a seventh extension, so that no page in my entire passport (bar the new additions) has less than 8 or so stamps on it, when bored I recently counted 33 stamps on one two page spread.

Hfly: would you mind spilling the beans on which US mission(s) you have had success in getting the additional insert(s)?

Have done two in BKK and one in Luxembourg (of all places) for my current passport. Much better to do overseas than in U.S.

For what it is worth: (I am not American)
I have a second Dutch passport (two-year validity, special endorsement "This is a second passport") and never had any problems nor questions/strange looks from immigration officers.

Just had pages added in SCL last week.

Has anyone successfully done this in Dublin? I'm planning on stopping there, and if I can get this taken care of in a day, it would be most convenient.

Thanks!

FYI, it was nice and simple at the Dublin US Embassy, in and out in about 40 minutes.

I had pages added in Almaty. It was about half an hour.

48 page passports are no longer available. You can ask for extra pages when you apply (makes no sense to me. . . )

http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri/add/add_850.html

Extremely quick using the consulate in Jerusalem. Took about 10 min once my number was called.

Additionally, I was not charged.