What Happens When You Replace Your Damaged Passport?

In order to replace your damaged passport, you will need to submit the mutilated passport book and an explanation of how it got damaged. Even if there are only a few shreds of your passport left, you have to submit them! You’ll have to appear at a Passport Acceptance Facility to have your application reviewed and your identity and citizenship verified. The Passport Acceptance Agent will then seal your passport replacement request into an envelope, which you will send to G3 for processing.

G3 will hand-carry your sealed envelope to the Passport Agency for rush processing of your damaged passport replacement. As soon as your new passport is ready, we will pick it up, check it for accuracy, and send it out to you. You’ll receive a brand-new passport, valid for ten years from the date of issue. You’ll also get your proof of citizenship document back.

You will not, however, get back your damaged passport book. The Passport Agency keeps all the mutilated passport books that are submitted for replacement.

Why Doesn’t the Passport Agency Return Damaged Passports?

When your passport gets damaged, it is considered compromised. It’s no longer valid for travel, or as proof of your identity or US citizenship. The idea is that if a passport is damaged, it could be altered in some fraudulent way. This was especially an issue before US passports were redesigned. If you had a passport 15 or 20 years ago, you may remember that your photo and personal information used to be on the inside of the front cover, underneath a sheet of plastic lamination. Back then, the most common reason for passports to be considered mutilated was if the lamination began to peel up. The government was understandably concerned that criminals might put in a different photo or otherwise falsify the passport. It’s safer for the government to keep the damaged passport that’s been turned in for replacement, so it can’t fall into the wrong hands.

What if There are Valid Visas in a Damaged Passport?

A few countries, most notably Brazil, China, and India, issue long-term multiple entry visas to US citizens. These visas may be valid for as long as ten years! It’s quite common for these visas to remain valid even after the passport has expired, been cancelled, or been renewed. Usually, any visas that are in your passport are cancelled when the passport expires or is renewed. However, China, Brazil, and India will allow you to keep using valid visas on your old passport! You can travel carrying both your new, valid passport and your old passport with the visa sticker.

If you have a valid visa for India, China, or Brazil in your damaged passport, you can ask the Passport Agency to return your passport so you can keep using the visa. It’s worth a try! Include a letter with your mutilated passport replacement request, asking for the passport to be returned. In the letter, explain that you have a valid visa that you would like to be able to use for future trips. Whether or not they will return your damaged passport is up to Passport Agency discretion. They sometimes return passports on request if the damage to the passport was minor.

But if you don’t get your damaged passport back, and you need to get a new visa, G3 can help!

The post Will I Get My Damaged Passport Back? appeared first on G3Passports.

One of the most frequent questions we get from travelers is “do I get my old passport back when I renew my passport?”  Most of the time, this question is because travelers want to keep their old passport as a souvenir of their travels.  Luckily, the answer is yes!  Your old passport will be marked cancelled and returned to you.

The Value of an Old Passport

Your old passport remains a valuable document, even after you’ve gotten your passport renewed.  Yes, it is a great momento of all your travels, and it is fun to be able to flip through your old passport book and look at all of the entry stamps and visas.  (It may be more or less fun to look at your previous passport photos, and see how you’ve aged in ten years!)  But more than that, your old passport remains proof of your US citizenship.  If your current passport is ever lost or stolen, you can submit your cancelled passport instead of your birth certificate to prove your citizenship.  You will need to make sure that your appearance has not changed too radically since your old passport was issued, though.  If you lose your passport at age 40, you can’t submit the passport you were issued at age 5!

My Old Passport Isn’t Expired.  Can I Travel With It?

We always recommend that travelers renew their passports at least six months before they expire.  If you’ve followed our advice, you may get back an old passport that hasn’t yet hit its expiration date.  However, this does not mean that your old passport is still valid for travel!  You will need to carry your new passport for all travel purposes.

There is only one reason that you may need to use your old passport for travel purposes.  A few countries – notably Brazil, China, and India – issue long term visas to US citizens and allow valid visas to be used even after the passport has been cancelled. For example, I renewed my passport this summer, but in my cancelled passport, I have a multiple-entry Brazil visa valid 10 years that was issued in 2012.  I can continue to travel to Brazil on that visa until 2022, as long as I carry both the old passport with the visa and my new, valid passport.

How Can I Tell My Old Passport From My New One?

When you submit your passport for renewal, the State Department will mark your passport cancelled by punching holes in the cover.  Years ago, the State Department would also stamp the word “Cancelled” on the inside of the passport in addition to punching holes in the cover, but this is no longer standard.  Your old passport won’t say that it is cancelled, but the holes are proof that it is has been renewed.

So keep your old passport in a safe place after you renew your passport.  It could still come in handy some day!

The post Do I Get My Old Passport Back When I Renew? appeared first on G3Passports.