Passports are more or less the be all and end all of travel documents. Because of the status, they need to be kept in immaculate condition so that there are no challenges encountered when traveling. Realize that customs officers use this document to allow people into their country and it is easily understandable why they are put under so much scrutiny. If the passport was just pulled out of the drawer and is a bit raggedy, expedited damaged U.S. passport replacement may be the answer.
There are a variety of reasons that a passport can be considered damaged. It is important to make note that even though the picture can be seen or we may think that it is legible, the people that are checking the document could have a very different opinion. Look for things such as a faded picture, water damage, torn pages and anything else that could be considered to hurt the overall look of the passport.
One of the most common ways that people ruin their passports is due to water damage. Suppose someone is one river trip and they inadvertently get splashed. Perhaps they are out to dinner and a glass of wine spills on the passport that was left on the table. Water damage can be critical because it causes damage to the pages and the writing and ink that is inside the passport.
A damaged passport can cause a variety of problems. Damaged passports may be difficult to read, which is likely to cause delays at border crossings. Likewise, damaged passports may look fraudulent and it may be difficult to verify a damaged passport. Often times, if the front page of the passport book has been removed due to a tear or water damage, the immigration official may suspect that the passport has been tampered with for the sake of identity theft.
It is not really hard to replace a passport that is damaged. All it really involves is downloading some forms off of the Internet, filling them out and then sending them out with payment and the damaged passport to get the new one. If there is the need to get it quicker than standard processing allows, there are expedited services that can be used.
There is also expedited service that is available for a passport replacement. Like a new passport, the applicant must pay an additional fee in order to have the replacement order pushed to the front of the pack. The fee is generally $60 along with express shipping and handling costs.
The time frame for an expedited replacement to be received is identical to a regular passport in that it takes about two or three weeks to come back. However, there are some quicker services that are available, but they will cost significantly more money. When someone is jammed up for time though, paying $300 for a new passport is a much better alternative than scrubbing an entire trip abroad.
Anyone taking a trip that thinks that they have a damaged passport would do well to use the expedited damaged passport replacement services that are available. Finding out at the border gates that the passport is unacceptable is never an enjoyable experience. Getting a USA passport replacement is far easier than applying for a new one and paying the $60 sure beats the alternative.