Do you have a worn out passport? Travel is fun, but travel can also be hard on our bodies and belongings. After a long international flight, you might be jet-lagged, tired, and feeling run down. Your suitcase may be scuffed or dirtied after having been tossed around cargo holds and baggage claim carousels. You may also find that your passport is looking a bit worse for wear.
Passports that are very badly damaged are considered “mutilated” by the US Department of State. Mutilated passports are not valid for travel or as proof of your US citizenship. If your passport is truly mutilated – for example, if the cover falls off, or if any pages are torn or missing – you’ll need to go through the mutilated passport replacement process, which is very similar to getting a first time passport.
Most of the time, though, a worn out passport can be replaced via an early passport renewal.
Why Replace Your Worn Out Passport?
The passports of frequent travelers incur all kinds of damage. Your passport book may be bent or bowed from keeping it in your back pocket and sitting on it. The edges of the pages may be rough or curled. The edges of the cover may be frayed, possibly with hanging threads. Your passport may have seen better days, but this type of minor damage isn’t enough to make your passport invalid.
Even if your worn out passport is still valid under State Department rules, you may have trouble traveling with it. The line between “normal wear and tear” and “mutilated” is subjective, and it’s not unusual for airline desk agents or immigration authorities to take a hard line on damaged passports. You could find yourself denied boarding of your flight, or not allowed to enter your destination country because of the minor damage to your passport. One Philadelphia bride discovered this the hard way last year, when she was not allowed to board the flight for her honeymoon because her passport had threads hanging from the edge of the cover.
It’s better to be safe than sorry. Renewing your worn out passport early is much less hassle than trying to rebook a flight! Think of it this way, too: the condition of your passport isn’t going to get any better if you keep traveling with it.
Benefits of Using G3Passports.com to Renew Your Worn Out Passport
Even if you’re not in a big hurry to renew your passport before an upcoming trip, there are benefits to using G3Passports.com to replace your worn out passport. Our passport specialists will be able to confer with you before you send in your renewal application. They will help you determine if your passport qualifies for an early passport renewal, or if it is more likely to need the full damaged passport replacement service.
Our agents will also hand-carry your passport renewal application in to the Passport Agency. They’ll be able to discuss the processing of your renewal with the State Department personnel. This means that if the Passport Agency staff determine that your worn out passport truly is mutilated, they will tell us right away. We’ll be able to get you sorted out with the proper replacement procedure immediately.