With my passport filling up with visas to out-of-the-way places I'm getting a raised eyebrow or two when crossing borders; a few comments and close-calls so far (US customs man in NYC, after commenting on my Thailand/Laos/VN/Cambodia/Burma trip and pondering a moment, said "ok, I'll let you go"). I'm concerned that the passport is going to set me up for some third-degree interrogations. It still good for another 4 years.
Since I spend the majority of my time outside of the US, getting a new passport is a hassle (takes around two weeks, I'm usually in the country for just about that length of time) and then I would have to get a new Brazilian visa, which is an additional problem because I usually get one-way tickets, and when applying for a visa they want to see a round-trip ticket.
I'd like to hear if others get a difficult time because they have "interesting" stamps in their passports.

Bendejo, I have an overfilled passport, both sections almost completely stamped with another four years to go until renewal. I have multi-year visas for 8 Middle East countries and the only time I've had problems is on connecting flights in Europe (Frankfurt mostly, the remaining Hitler Youth all work security at Rhein-Main) and strangly enough last month in Rio. Of course, the security person in Rio was Czech, not sure what the hell she was doing down there.

Just remember - as a US citizen they can't do much to you at immigration back into the US. They can search your luggage and maybe you but they can't hold you without cause.

My old passport had a similar situation but with two additional sets of insert pages (had to be added because it was full). I got a lot of comments from immigration (not customs), "you travel a lot huh?" "you do all this travelling for business?" etc.

Remember, it's what you put on your immigration form; Business or pleasure/vacation. If it is all vacation, they raise their eyebrows...if it is mostly business, they normally just pass you through without a second look.

On one trip, where I filled out the "countries visited prior to entering the US" section, I ran out of boxes and had to make additional inserts. The guy just laughed and said he had never seen that one before!

Summary, no big deal about the number of stamps in your passport. The one way tickets are going to raise some eyebrows and subject you to additional search and baggage inspection. Since 9-11, one way tickets have become a red flag for airline security.

Sandman

Sandman I bet GCL got stripped and cavity searched with his one way ticket. Pughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Hemp

I saw a web site posted somewhere on this board that had visa information on every country's requirements for every other country. So, for instance, you could find out which countries don't require a visa for you to meet your special garota.

Anyone have that reference handy?

Excelent reference at

http://www.continental.com/vendors/default.asp?SID=5E0E1413EAC84306B2BF7D5219FEF440&s=&i=TIMATIC

Thanks, Sancho. That's not the site I had seen, but it's as good (or maybe better, because of the in-transit stop info). This time, I'm bookmarking it.

So, what is the quickest way to have pages added to my passport?

If you are a US citizen and overseas, go to an embassy or consulate and visit the American Citizen Services section. They'll slap new pages in your passport. It took about 20 minutes when I did it at the embassy in Bangkok. No charge.

Gotta agree with Murasaki - I added pages in Singapore. I was in and out of the US Embassy in under 10 minutes.

Make sure you confirm their operating hours BEFORE going down there. I got turned away my first trip as I had arrived during lunch...

E

If I go get my visa today on feb. 16 2006 would I get it back by feb.24 2006

PW,

Depends on what country you are applying for a visa for and where you are applying.

Anyone renewed their US passport overseas?
If so, how long did it take (did you pay the expediting fee?). I would hope you had to go back to the embassy to claim it, as opposed to trusting the local postal system.
It is normal practice in the US to surrender the old pp when applying for the new, but I would assume this is different abroad, allowing you to hold the old one (like for local ID) until the new one is in your hands. Or not?

From the State Department.


http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1229.html


Joseph



(Message edited by jusjoseph on June 09, 2006)

All, remember that some countries, like Brazil will accept your Brtizillian visa even if it's in an expired passport or you had to get a new one cause your old one was filled up.. The only requirement is that the Brizillian visa still has to be valid.. So, in the case of Brazil, it's the visa's expiration that is important, not so much as the passport it's stamped/stickered into.. I use a small out-of-the-way Honorary Consulate General to get my Non-Imm B visa issued and mid-last year I got a new 10-yr US Passport, I called the Thai Consualte and they glaldly transferred my visa from my old passport to my new one.. The transferred visa still had the same issue and expiration date, but at least I did not have to go and reapply and pay fees again..
There are also some countries that won't do that.. China is a notable one.. Once the passport expires so does the visa stamped in it, regardless of time left on the visa.. transfers are not allowed.