How To Exchange A Damaged Passport

by garrett on September 6, 2011

The documents used for official travel between countries are called passports. The presentation of those documents is required before border officials permit persons to cross the borders between the countries. Passports should be handled carefully so that damage to them can be avoided as damage might interfere with their reading or scanning. A damaged US passport is difficult to process and should therefore be fixed.

Reporting The Damage

In the case of passports that do not sustain extensive damages, reports do not necessarily have to be given to the relevant authorities. Notwithstanding,because it is possible that they can be rejected by airline officials, passports that are not completely unscathed are best remedied. Replacing the document is the most viable solution for that problem, and should be carried out in the shortest possible time.

Keep The Damaged Document

For an effective solution, a report could be made to authorized agencies concerning the document while simultaneously applying for a replacement. At the time of applying, the document should be produced. Such submission allows the documents to be officially checked in order to satisfy two criteria. The criteria are the confirmation of the identities of the owners, and the elimination of suspected fraudulent tampering regarding the documents.

Picture Removal

Since identity theft is rampant, unscrupulous persons may attempt the removal of photographs in the passports of their victims. Usually, the intention on those occasions is substituting their photographs or the pictures of their customers for the bona fide original ones. Similar substitutions can be attempted,too, for dates as well as names. Detection of such fraud is possible by the authorities.

Other Documents

Passports may be given back to owners after thorough checks and they can be held even when the inspection was successful. In addition, bona fide birth certificates supplying complete data, plus older but intact passports or naturalization papers, need to be presented. Valid licenses for drivers, picture identification from the government or the military as well as national identification are acceptable, too.

Photograph Replacement

Applicants should submit pictures for replacement passports. These pictures must be identical and passport-sized and two of them should be submitted. Specified locations are available for delivering those photographs and these include some organizations that aid the process of application. High quality photos need to be submitted because pictures of poor quality only cause delays in the replacement process.

Fees

The process of replacement requires that fees be paid. One of the fees covers the process of verifying the application and the other expedites the replacement process. Both fees are payable to the agent in charge at application and different methods of payment are accepted. The methods include checks, excepting starter checks, debit cards, cash or money orders. Credit cards are not an acceptable method, though. Finally, a special US passport form is provided for supplying an explanation of the damages to the passports.

Replacing a damaged passport is advisable in order to prevent it being rejected at borders and by airlines. Replacements may be done at authorized agencies. Certain fees must be paid and specific requirements carried out for replacement to be facilitated.

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