Oh, dear. Frequent travelers might find themselves in a bit of a bind after months (or years) of constant traveling. While some countries will stamp your passport if you’re a tourist, most use a full page for residential visas.
This is less of a problem for passports that are only good for five years, but American passports are good for ten years. This can create a problem that can lead to being refused entry after you’ve arrived – a very good reason to avoid the problem altogether! Here’s what to do.
Get a new passport. This will require some planning in advance, since processing times can range from weeks to months. Be aware of the requirements to get a new one, especially if you have to leave the country where you’re currently staying. Be prepared to spend a fair bit of money, especially if you select the ‘express’ or ‘rush’ option. Before you give up the old passport, take pictures of all your visas and stamps – those old memories took a long time to get! You’ll get your old passport back, which you’ll need if your current visa into a country is inside.
Get pages added to your current passport. It’s typically a faster option, and in some cases might be available in an hour. If you’re unable to wait in the waiting lounge, you can always come back on a later day. As a bonus, this is almost always cheaper. Be aware some countries don’t like to stamp or put visas on added pages, but I’ve never heard of anyone getting turned away because they were the only pages available.
Don’t travel. This is a stop-gap, temporary measure until you can get one of the other things done, and might lead to some other problems. There’s an obvious issue that’ll come if your visa is due to run out soon. If this is the case, get your behind to your embassy as quickly as you can.
What if my visa is applied in my old passport?
The simple answer is to bring both passports. Show your old and new passports, and point out your legitimate visa.
While we’re on the subject of passports, now would be a good time to remind yourself of two things: when does my current passport expire, and when does my current visa expire? These things have a way of sneaking up on people. Also, ensure your passport has at least six months of validity left in order to enter most countries around the world.
If you are in need of a new passport, contact Key Visa Today. We are experts in arranging new passports.