A Damaged Passport Can Hinder A Traveler's Journey

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:45:48 EST

If you have scheduled a trip overseas and you have a damaged passport, you definitely want to take care of it before leaving the US. First of all, you may not even be able to depart if your passport is mutilated and second, you do not want to take the chance of being on foreign soil without proper identification of your nationality. Before you set out to your passport agency, there are a number of documents you can prepare ahead of time to make your trip run smoothly.

The DS-11 form that you have to fill out is available online at the State Department's website. You can go onto their site and complete the form and once it is complete you can print it out with all of your information intact.

Do not sign this form until you standing in front of a certified official, either at a passport agency or an Acceptance Agency. It will do you no good if you sign it before you are in the presence of an official, you will just have to fill out another form. Be advised that once you have filled out this application it can only be submitted to the State Department within five days of the date on the application.

The DS-64 is another official document that has to be filled out. This is an official statement to verify why and how your passport became damaged. You will have to provide detailed information as to what caused your passport's damage.

You will also have to have on hand proof of US citizenship, with a US birth certificate or documentation from the USCIS of citizenship or naturalization. Two photos for your passport are required, set to the standard of the Department of State (2 inch x 2 inch) against a plain white background. The photos cannot be more than six months old.

If you need of your passport quickly, you will have to provide proof of your flight information in order to have your replacement expedited. You will have to pay additional fees for this. The standard fee for a non-expedited replacement passport is $135.00. You can pay this by money order or check and if going through the process in person, you may be able to pay with a credit card. All checks or money orders must be made payable to the Department of State.

Even if you are vacationing or residing outside of the United States and your passport is damaged, you have to contact your US embassy or Consulate in the country you are visiting. There are no exceptions for the documents; you have to meet the requirements even if you are outside of the States. You will still have to complete the DS-11 and the DS-64, however, some questions will not be valid in your case so you will just have to provide an N/A response while answering the rest of the questions.

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A Damaged Passport Can Hinder A Traveler's Journey