What do immigration officers see on their screen when they scan your passport?
I went to the UK a few days ago and I am a dual US/EU citizen. I took the "Aliens/non EU" line since it was much shorter and tried to enter with my US passport. The office must have realized that I was in the UK a few weeks ago with my EU passport and started to ask questions "Have you been recently in the UK", "Did you travel on another passport". I wasn't a big deal but it made me curious:
What do immigration officers see on their screens when they scan your passport?
posted by yoyo_nyc
on Mar 21, 2013 -
8 answers
I am planning a trip to Italy this summer. I will have several days within Rome, and am looking forward to exploring the nooks and crannies of the city. I've read that I should only carry enough money for each day, in case of being mugged -- works for me. Regarding ID, would it be a good idea to leave my passport in our rented apartment, and carry my driver's license and/or a photocopy of my passport within the city? These seem like less dire things to lose while travelling.
posted by bullitt 5
on Mar 21, 2013 -
26 answers
I'm considering getting a US Passport Card (the kind that is only good for land and sea travel between the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda) and am concerned about my privacy.
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posted by IndigoRain
on Feb 21, 2013 -
21 answers
I am traveling to Shanghai for two weeks soon (Feb. 20th). In one of my finer moments, I completely forgot about the visa until this weekend. I have all the necessary documents but I need a visa ASAP and the embassy is closed on Monday and Tuesday. I'll be using a visa service since I really have no idea what I'm doing but is it possible to still get my passport back in time for my flight?
posted by Loto
on Feb 10, 2013 -
5 answers
Details:
When I was about 5 I got a US passport, my Dad was in the airforce so my brother, parents and I traveled around a lot. We'e been state side since about 1998. Since then we've not left the country.
My Fiancee and I are going the caribbean for our honeymoon on a cruise & I need a passport.
Do I need my old passport when applying for a new one? What if I can't find it?
posted by snow_mac
on Jan 28, 2013 -
10 answers
I'm flying next week. My only forms of photo ID are a temporary driver's license and an expired passport. Will the TSA accept these? If I have to go through additional screening, what should I expect?
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posted by Metroid Baby
on Nov 15, 2012 -
21 answers
As a dual citizen, can I travel to places on a Canadian passport that I can't go to (or is difficult or expensive to get visas for) on an American passport? Can I actually pick-and-choose what passport to use to get the best benefit?
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posted by subject_verb_remainder
on Jul 3, 2012 -
19 answers
I need to find the fastest way to obtain a certified copy of my Ohio birth certificate from out of state (to apply for a passport).
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posted by Unsomnambulist
on Oct 4, 2011 -
10 answers
I'm looking for a hard passport case that is designed to hold nothing but my passport, sort of like a sleeve made of thin metal or rigid plastic, and I'm imagining the passport just sliding in and out. Does this even exist?
posted by reductiondesign
on Apr 12, 2011 -
8 answers
It's time to renew my US passport book; is there any reason to get the passport card as well? I don't live close enough to the Mexican or Canadian border to make spontaneous day trips where I might not be carrying my passport.
posted by catlet
on Jan 21, 2011 -
16 answers
I know someone posted something similar about an expired passport, but I want to know if I can travel domestically within the US using only my Canadian driver's license. (I am here on an H-1B visa) Extended version:
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posted by bquarters
on Jan 14, 2011 -
6 answers
Please recommend a visa expediter service in WA DC that specializes in visas for weird, third-world destinations.
posted by thewalrus
on Sep 7, 2010 -
2 answers
I'm traveling to Japan and Singapore soon, returning to the US on October 1, 2010. My passport expires April 11, 2011. Singapore's entry requirements state that the passport must be valid for at least six more months. Do I need to renew before I go?
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posted by Maximian
on Aug 7, 2010 -
14 answers
I am in a bit of a bureaucratic bind and I need some advice. Short story: I leave for a trip in 10 days and at this point have no visa for the country that I will be living in for a year. The consulate just emailed me a couple of hours ago and informed me that I need to send my passport to them (who are located in a city 12 hours away) in order that they can issue me the visa. Problem: I have been trying to get this visa for months now, and they have been terribly slow every step of the way. I am worried that I will not get my passport back in time before my flight. What do I do?
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 22, 2010 -
18 answers
I'm heading off to Paris for four days, and I'm starting to get a bit nervous that I'll forget something important. I've never been to Paris, and I haven't been to Europe for fifteen years. I'll be staying by myself in a hotel in Arondissement 7.
I'm wondering if you can help me out with any last-minute tips or things I'm likely to have forgotten.
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posted by cider
on Oct 9, 2009 -
25 answers
I have a new name. My passport is in my old name. I've booked a flight under my old name. Will I have trouble traveling?
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posted by pantheON
on Sep 20, 2009 -
19 answers
I messed up big time here...I have my passport and ticket ready to fly to China on September 15th.
I do not have a visa.
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posted by dawson
on Aug 19, 2009 -
26 answers
International Travel novice: What do I need to know that I don't know that I don't know?
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posted by b33j
on Apr 17, 2009 -
28 answers
My Irish friend's wife is a US citizen but has not yet obtained an American passport. She does have her citizenship papers. They will be traveling to Ireland (she has an Irish passport) and back to the US in April. Will she need a Visa or an American passport to return to the US?
posted by elle.jeezy
on Mar 12, 2009 -
20 answers
How do I travel from the UK to the US as a US citizen if I don't have a passport or a valid driver's license?
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posted by nímwunnan
on Nov 13, 2008 -
10 answers
Will airport security/Virgin America let me get on my domestic US flight if I only have a photocopy of my photo ID?
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posted by agenais
on Jul 20, 2008 -
10 answers
A family member born in another country recently became a US Citizen and got a US passport. Her old country does not allow dual citizenship and would revoke her citizenship if they found out about her becoming a US citizen, but she still wants to use the native passport on trips to the native country and retain her citizenship.
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posted by b_thinky
on Jun 24, 2008 -
24 answers
I am getting ready to go on a trip this summer, and I've noticed that I may be running out of places for entry/exit stamps in my passport (my next trip will involve a lot of entry/exits to different countries and the US). If I run out of places in my passport upon reentry, will this present a problem? And is there any way to get new passport pages without sending my passport in for four-six weeks?
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posted by waylaid
on Mar 31, 2008 -
17 answers
Panic is in the house. My wife has planned a trip with our 13 year old daughter from the US to Spain. They leave on Sunday afternoon from JFK. Tonight while gathering her passport, we realize that her passport expired 1 year ago. (A minor's passport is only valid for 5 years.) Assuming cost is not an issue, is there anyway for my wife and daughter to make the trip legally on Sunday? I am looking for practical advice for someone in the NY tri-state area.
posted by JohnnyGunn
on Feb 15, 2008 -
22 answers
How quickly are non-expedited passports being sent out in the US these days? And, is there any way to keep my old passport (for sentimental reasons only)?
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posted by AthenaPolias
on Feb 15, 2008 -
9 answers
I'm trying to renew my passport, which expired about six years ago and is now lost, but the government doesn't seem to believe this situation is possible. Is this process the same as replacing/renewing a still-valid lost passport?
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posted by Meg_Murry
on Jan 19, 2008 -
16 answers
My U.S. passport expires 13 Oct 08 and I need to book one international trip before then: leaving New York 17 July 08, returning 2 Aug 08 (one destination country, a non-EU-member in Eastern Europe, plus stops for flight transfers in one or two EU member countries). Is it even worth researching various countries' and airlines' how-close-to-expiration-date safety ranges for travel, or should I just assume I MUST renew my passport before then?
posted by anonymous
on Jan 13, 2008 -
16 answers
The f*cking idiots at CanadaPost have 'lost' my passport application, along with an brand-new official birth certificate (not a copy, and this just cost me $60) and a signed photocopy of my drivers license, and all the personal details in my application. Basically, a handy identity-theft kit has probably been stolen, perhaps with the help of a CanadaPost employee. I bought guaranteed, registered delivery to the passport office in Gatineau. CanadaPost's response is to offer to pay me back my shipping cost.
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posted by Kickstart70
on Sep 24, 2007 -
22 answers
I post this on behalf of a friend in need of passport help. Here he is: I need a U.S. passport in less than a week's time. I have been summoned to a foreign country on short notice, and it's crucial that I'm there when needed. I need to leave no later than September 17th.
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posted by brownpau
on Sep 8, 2007 -
18 answers
Is my passport enough ID for travel? Is having my name changed on my drivers license & credit/debit cards before a trip a bad idea?
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posted by catfood
on Jul 26, 2007 -
11 answers
HomelandSecurityFilter: If you have visas/stamps in your passport from Communist or former Communist nations, can this prejudice your entry into the US?
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posted by SpacemanRed
on May 29, 2007 -
12 answers
I want to leave on an overseas trip exactly two weeks from tomorrow. I've never had a passport before. If I go to the post office and get expedited two-week service, will I have my passport in time?
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posted by btkuhn
on Feb 21, 2007 -
22 answers
