My US passport went through the wash accidentally. The lamination is almost completely intact, and still forms a complete seal around the photo. The only thing is that there is now a slight space between the lamination and about 40% of the photo surface, although as I said all around the photo the lamination is still intact. Do I risk being denied boarding for an international flight with the passport in this conditiont? Does it help that I have a brand new passport from my other country of citizenship and an official commission from the federal agency I work for that I can use to prove my ID & citizenship?

Yonatan

At the risk of stating the obvious, if you are asking questions yourself about the ongoing validity of the passport, so might a border guard or check in assistant.

My passport is very scrappy looking due to just plain wear. There are air bubbles around my photo. I've never had a problem leaving the US or getting back in -- but I have gotten additional scrutiny trying to get into and out of countries, particularly in Asia for some reason.

I keep meaning to get a new one, but I always have another trip around the corner that I need it for...

If you can live with the consequences of denied travel or denied entry somewhere, then don't do anything, otherwise get it replaced.

I carry my passport in a belt around my waist, in a leather sleeve. from sweat and heat, my last passport had sligh warping and discoloration, but it appeared fine. I went into an embassy for an unrelated issue, and the clerk their punched a hole in it, voiding it and making me get a new passport. this can happen at the border, as well. I wouldn't take any chances

On my old passport, the lamination was coming loose near the photo and when coming back through customs I was advised to get a new one.

On returning from a trip with the old passport, the agent mentioned that I should get a new one, as the lamination was coming off the old one, and it may be refused depending on who was looking at it.

I didn't even know it was bubbling (or that there was a group of passports that all had the same issue). Sure, once told where to look you could find some issue, but not by just flipping through it.

So in my case, you couldn't even tell there was damage. If you need to ask, then it's probably a good thing to get it replaced.

Our dog made a snack out of my husband's - chewed around the corners & edges, but no info affected. Was told 3 times to get a new one. On the 4th entry, was told there was a note and if he tried to use it again, it would be confiscated. Went immediately to a passport agency.

It's been a while - may be a little fuzzy on the facts...

OTOH the passport office should probably consider moving the photo and machine readable bits to the middle of the passport. My front cover is just enough warped/bent to make the machine readable bit - err need to be entered manually....... Some places that doesn't slow them down... Others....

YMMV especially the more you wander

Fred

Back in November of 2006, I had been travelling pretty extensively to Asia and Australia. My passport covers lamination was getting really bad (it was basically separating about 1 inch into the corner of my photo page. Never really had any problems with it until I exited Australia where I was stopped by the immigration official and a supervisor had to be called over. From there they took me to a room, questioned me (nothing major to be honest) for about 20 minutes, then spent about 20 minutes lecturing me on how it would be noted that if I tried entering the country again using this passport I would be denied entry and how could I ever travel with a damaged passport, what was I thinking, etc. I didn't really worry too much about it because I figured worst case I'd get deported to home and could sort it all out, but it was still not the best experience. I ended up getting a new passport after that (mine was expiring in about 7 months at that point anyway), so I didn't get to see if I'd get rejected.

I think the point someone else made was great--if you're asking this question, so might a boarder crossing person. In my case, I had been thinking about the damage to my passport for about three trips . .. and got called out on it on the third.

Well, it's not the middle, but the new e-passports have the identification/picture page on the first page, not on the cover (which is now harder).

I also have had a dog chewed passport in the past. The passport agency wouldn't even take it as valid ID. Play it safe, get a new one.