What is the deal with renewing a passport with a visa stapled in already?

November 18, 2006 5:55 PM

"Papers Please" Part II. Readers of my previous question may be glad to know my gf finally got her visa. My new question is, what's the deal with getting a new passport, now that the visa's already attached to this old ('damaged') passport? As usual, there's

So after some crazy hijinks involving international overnight deliveries, a three-hour trip to the UPS in Queens, frantic calls to various highly-placed Italians, and mostly, waiting in line, my girlfriend got her student visa from the Italian consulate in New York. Unfortunately, we just got back from JFK, where she was turned back at check-in by the agent for having a 'mutilated' passport (awful gory choice of words given we're talking about some glue here, no?). Now, as far as I can tell, our system of international security is mostly based on the assumption that the bad guys, for all the shadowy power of their international crime networks, can't get their hands on the really nice printers, and that's why we glue a piece of festively-colored paper inside our passports when we travel.

If she gets her new passport turned around, possibly by an expediter, what's the deal with transferring the visa? Does she have to go back to the consulate? Do they take care of visa-transferring at the passport office? Am I the only person who thinks this whole system's rationality lies somewhere between trial by ordeal and cargo cults? Will the people at the Italian consulate have any record of her visa being issued, or will she have to go through the whole process again with the new passport, assuming the US passport office keeps the old one?

Also, any post-9/11 NYC speedy passport renewal stories and tips would be greatly appreciated.

posted by jeb to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

Ha. My ex-boyfriend happens to run the NY office of a passport expeditor. He may have been really mean to me, and I may not speak to him anymore, but his company consistently gets rave reviews and he's really good at his job. My email's in my profile if you would like more information.
posted by echo0720 at 7:09 PM on November 18, 2006

forgot to mention that i'm pretty sure they could help with the visa, too
posted by echo0720 at 7:11 PM on November 18, 2006

She has to hand in the old passport at some point, and then the old visa just transfers to the new passport. It doesn't have to be stapled in!
Disclaimer: my experience is with a Canadian visa, and rules MAY differ for the US, so she should double check at her consulate to be sure. My consulate people here were the ones who told me that it was okay to use it loose, and they were right, but I don't know if it's a general thing or only for my type of visa/country/passport.
posted by easternblot at 8:40 PM on November 18, 2006

It must be different depending on the country. My 2 passports (expired old one with my visa and the new current one) are stapled together. The consulate told me it was the standard procedure and I never had any problem at customs. French passport by the way.
posted by McSly at 9:18 PM on November 18, 2006

I've applied for a new work visa and a new passport post 9/11, however, I was getting a new passport so I could get my new visa put into it. The old and new passports came back stapled together, I separated them, got my new visa stamp and have no problems travelling. I'm a UK citizen and the consulate can transfer a visa to a new passport for an additional fee. Although the process was smoother and quicker than I expected, the whole thing caused much anxiety that in spite of my best attempts I still might not be doing the 'right thing' and would end up getting screwed. Good luck!
posted by poissonrouge at 5:17 AM on November 19, 2006

When my partner renewed his Belgian passport they returned the old one with a corner clipped off (through the whole booklet).

I was told at the US embassy in London that a "mutiliated" passport may not be returned. Mine is considered border-line, they say, because the cover over the photo page has peeled back a bit. I hope that's not true, I want the stamps I've collected, of course.
posted by Goofyy at 3:10 AM on November 20, 2006