I appreciate the warning. In my case, I have about three months for the U.S. passport service to process my extra page request.

Even so, I don't have warm and fuzzy feelings about this. Our govt might soon be shutting-down if Congress can't get their act together and approve the debt ceiling increase. Last time that happened in the 1990's passport approval shut down and people went months with no action on their passport applications.

Is it required anywhere (besides Greece aforementioned) to have space for visa stamps?
I find that most countries (esp Europe) just stamp over prior stamps..

If I'm not planning to get visas anytime soon, is there any harm in just skipping the extra pages / fee?

Another data point:
My 52-page passport arrived last week exactly 21 days after being received by passport agency. I didn't pay for expedited service, but included $5.65 or so for FedEx Ground return. Passport card arrived a few days later.

When I needed extra pages on my old passport two years ago I went to the US Embassy in London and they put them in while I waited. Took about 20 minutes. So if you have trips planned, you might want to schedule a morning at the embassy. YMMV. :)

I would say that many countries require you to have a blank page and will not stamp over prior stamps.

izzik, it really depends on what "full" means to you, my average 2 page "spread" has about 22 stamps in it, one spread has 40. As an exercise on a recent very long flight I calculated that had everyone stamped one stamp per box (or the equivalent as newer pages do not have the same boxes), I would need something like 800 pages in my current passport, also considering that my current and soon to be expiring passport has about 60 full page sticker visas in it as well, and over 40 half page visas. Hell, just my entries and exits into one partuclar country number over 600, stamps in and out of Schengen are over 250 and the number three has over 100 entries..............

I am very negative on the new charges as I am probably looking at $82-164 a year in extra costs in order to keep my passport in servicable shape.

Twice? I got my 3rd extra set in my 48 page passport with no problems. Took some embassy shopping, but finally got a 4th set added as well. :p

I still have 4 years left on it....any chance of getting a 5th if I'm willing to part with $82?

Yes, Bowgie was 100% incorrect in that assertation above, the "reccomendation" is a max of three extra sets, but that is NOT, nor never has been a regulation (says the guy with 8 additions to his current 48 page passport). BTW, before someone says I am wrong, they can go search for the thread where I posted the DoS pages from their guidebook on the subject here on FT.

You need to compare the cost of getting a new passport ($110 plus $25) or pay the $82 to just get a few more years. Now you have the option to check a box on the application and get a 52 page passport when you are getting a new one (or a renewal).

If I needed extra pages and only had a few years left, I would go for the 52 page new one and get ten years out of it rather than just add extra pages good only for a few more years for $82

It is my understanding from posts on Ft as well as from those I know in the real world that when getting a new PP abroad, If one writes a letter requesting an additional set at the time of issuance 9and one shows evidence of need), they will give it to you, so in fact one can get 76 pages from the start.

I mailed her passport in on March 21, 2011. It arrived back today, April 11, 2011. They were kind enough to include the two inserts per my request via the check-box. That should last through 2015 when it expires.

I'll likely be requesting more pages, too, in a couple weeks. I will likely pay for same-day service just in case another crazy deal comes up. I hate not having my passport available. :p

I have 6 different multi-entry visas in this one, some of which would be nontransferable. At over $100 a pop, that more than offsets the cost. Good to know I can (and thus will) get more pages.

Which exactly would be non-transferable?? You do rtealize that most visas from an expired passport are still valid even when you get a new passport? For US citizens the notables would be Brazilian and Indian visas (yes the Indians try to get people to pay to transfer them over, but this is NOT required), the Brazilians have no problem either. The Chinese will rarely if ever issue a visa past the date of your passport, and Russian visas are generally rarely of very long duration (but can outlive your passport). So what other visas are you talking about?

Those are two, but I realise the Brazilian one is no problem, the Indian one will likely take a few dollars and some bureaucracy. The other two are in Africa, and after the difficulty of getting multi-entry long-term business visas for my employer, I'd rather not go through the pain of doing iit again before I have to.

No the Indian one will not, they will accept it from your old passport. I cannot speak to the African ones without specific examples.