Let’s take a look at some other crazy ways that passports have been destroyed.

Kiddie Doodles

A few years ago, a passport story went viral on social media. A Chinese man got stuck in South Korea, unable to travel because his four-year-old child had drawn all over the information page of his passport. The pictures were pretty funny, with the dad now sporting crazy Einstein hair, blacked-out eyes, and a goofy beard. As it turned out, that particular story was a hoax, and the “doodles” had been drawn on using photo-editing software. However, this kind of thing really does happen! Every parent knows that a kid with a Sharpie is a dangerous proposition. You don’t want your kid to draw on your passport… or on your walls or sofa!

Soaked in Soda

We’ve said it again and again: water damage to your passport is bad. But water isn’t the only liquid that can cause passport damage! We remember a passport that was ruined after being soaked in lemon-lime soda. The sticky soda stuck the pages together when it dried, and the pages tore when they were pried apart. Torn pages automatically render a passport officially mutilated. The traveler with the lemon-lime passport had to get a new passport through the mutilated passport replacement service.

At least the soda-soaked passport smelled better than passports that get ruined in the next crazy way!

The Dog Ate It. Or Maybe a Bear.

Every once in a while, we’ll get a request for a mutilated passport replacement from someone whose passport was torn up by the family dog. We’ve even had people tell us that their passport was destroyed by a wild animal! If this ever happens to you, you’ll need to gather up all the passport pieces you can find. Stick them in a zip-lock bag. Even if there are only a few pieces of your passport left, you’ll need to submit them with your request for a replacement passport.

Crafty Passport Damage

No one would willfully damage their passport, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. We’ve seen several cases of passport damage resulting from their owners cutting the passport up. Why would someone cut their passport? We’ve heard of people “trimming” the covers of their passports to fit better inside designer passport cases. We’ve also known people who cut pages out of their expired passports — some people thought they could re-use unexpired visas if they cut them out, and others cut out pages to save them in scrapbooks. But even if your passport is expired, do not cut it up! If you cut any pages, you will not be able to use that passport for a passport renewal. You’ll also never be able to use that passport as a proof of citizenship for future passport applications.

The cutest example of crafty passport damage we’ve ever seen was in another international news story. A German couple found out they were expecting their first baby a few days before an international trip, so they cut up one of their expired passports to make a teeny-tiny passport for the fetus. They used an ultrasound image for the passport photo, and even got an immigration official to stamp the mini-passport! Super cute. Super sweet. But don’t do it.

The post Oops! Crazy Reasons for Passport Damage appeared first on G3Passports.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if your passport is truly mutilated, or if it’s just looking worn from being carted around on all your travels. If you have a mutilated passport, you’ll definitely need to replace it before your next trip, but even if your passport isn’t that badly damaged, it’s still a good idea to replace it. Worn-out passports can be replaced by doing an early passport renewal.

So is your passport in bad enough shape to fall into the “mutilated passport” category? Let’s look at some common types of passport damage.

Passport Cover Damage

• Passport cover is loose or fell off. No question – this is a mutilated passport!
• Passport cover has hanging threads at the edges. This is minor damage, but enough that you should apply for a passport renewal.
• Passport cover has stickers on it. If you had stickers put on your passport by a visa expediting service or airport security, that’s no problem. It’s not considered to be damage at all. We don’t recommend decorating your passport with your own stickers, though!
• Passport cover has been cut or trimmed. Any cuts on your passport cover will render your passport mutilated.
• Passport cover is bent or curved. Have you been carrying your passport in your back pocket and sitting on it? If your passport has developed a curve, you may want to replace it with a passport renewal, but it’s not mutilated.

Damage to the Information Page

• Peeling plastic on the information page. This used to be a big problem, but US passports have been redesigned to try to prevent this problem. However, if the page with your photo starts to delaminate, you’ve got a mutilated passport on your hands. Replace it now.
• Unauthorized markings on the information page. If anyone has marked your information page other than a US State Department official, you will need to do a Mutilated Passport replacement.
• Water damage on the information page. Has your passport gotten wet? The information page has a polycarbonate coating that should protect it from falling apart in water, but if mildew develops under the lamination, you should replace your passport. If it’s very mild, you may be able to renew your passport, but you will likely be required to use the mutilated passport procedure.

Damage to Internal Pages

• Torn pages. If any page of your passport gets torn, sorry – your passport is officially mutilated.
• Cut pages. Just like torn pages, if any of your passport pages are partially or completely cut, your passport is now mutilated.
• Unauthorized markings. Did your kid doodle on a passport page? As long as it wasn’t the information page or a page with a visa, you will likely be able to replace your passport with an early passport renewal.
• Worn or curling edges of the pages. After your passport has been around the world a few times, the edges of the pages might soften, like those of a much-loved book. This damage isn’t bad enough to be considered mutilated, but you should renew your passport to get a fresh book. You probably are running low on blank visa pages by now, too!

Whether you need to renew your passport or do a full damaged passport replacement, G3 is here to help!

The post Is Your Passport Mutilated… Or Just Looking a Bit Rough? appeared first on G3Passports.