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Expedited Damaged Pasport Replacement Can Save A Trip From Ruins
By CruiseDirector | March 4, 2010
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 United States passport 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.
The problem comes when the document has to be used to gain entry and the carrier does not thing that these small issues will be a problem. One of the first things that the customs officers look at is the damage to the passport. This was a common practice by people that would try and use a fake or altered passport to gain entry into the country and it is why it is scrutinized so heavily.
It is not really hard to replace a passport that is damaged. All it really involves is downloading some forms off of the Internet, filling them out and then sending them out with payment and the damaged passport to get the new one. If there is the need to get it quicker than standard processing allows, there are expedited services that can be used.
The process of getting an expedited replacement passport is pretty much the same as getting a new passport without much of the hassle. There is a fee associated with the application of $60 along with any shipping costs that would be incurred for delivery. If this is not quick enough, there are other routes that can be taken.
The U.S. Department of State estimates that an expedited damaged passport replacement application will take two to three weeks to process. Some services offer various forms of expedited processing including one-week processing, overnight processing, or even same-day processing. Same day processing fees can sometimes approach $300.
If that passport of yours looks like it could be questionable, it is always better to play it safe and get a U S passport replacement. A vacation can be ruined pretty quickly if the passport is deemed to be damaged by the authorities. If the trip is in the very near future, use an expedited damaged USA passport replacement service to offer peace of mind and the knowledge that there will be no issues when crossing borders or dealing with customs.
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