Dropped Your Passport In The Water? Expedited Damaged Pass Port Replacement
Ben Pate
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 (http://www.uspassportnow.com/services/DamagedPassport) replacement may be the answer.
There are quite a few reasons that a passport could be deemed damaged by the proper authorities. What we think is just a small mark could be enough to keep someone out of the country. A wine spill over the signature, a faded or ripped photo or even a torn page could raise suspicions. Even the smallest issue in the wrong area of the passport is reason for them not to accept it.
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.
When a passport is damaged, it does usually not have a very good outcome. Customs officials look very closely at a passport that appears to be altered in any way and they have every right to refuse entry if they think these alterations were done to falsify documents. This is why it is better to just replace the passport versus risking being denied entry into a foreign country.
Steps for replacing a damaged passport are very similar to replacing an expired passport. The applicant must fill out a passport replacement form and submit the form in the mail along with the damaged passport. The government collects damaged passports so that they cannot aid in the counterfeiting of fraudulent passports.
Likewise, expediting a damaged passport is similar to expediting any other passport replacement (http://www.uspassportnow.com/services/LostStolenPassport). A passport may be expedited for a fee of $60 dollars. This fee is charged in addition to the normal passport replacement fee as well as two-way overnight shipping and handling fees.
The State Department estimates that standard expedited delivery will take about two to three weeks for the new passport to arrive. However, since accidents can happen at the worst times, that may not be quick enough. If the passport is needed sooner, the applicant can pay a higher fee and have it back much quicker. If it is needed in the same day, it can be done, but be prepared to pay about $300 for the processing.
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