Get through the gate: passport tips

MUST READ: Passports in Good Condition
All international passengers must carry a passport. To be valid for travel, passports must:
1. Be current (not expired) for entire trip. Remember, LIR requires 90 days past travel date!
2. Be signed.
3. Be in good condition for international travel.
Passengers with unacceptable passports risk deportation and airlines risk fines. At
check-in, make sure the traveler has a valid passport or travel must be denied!
NOT ACCEPTABLE!
Rips or tears
Hole punches
Water damage
Torn or missing pages
Unofficial markings on the data page
Significant damage to cover or pages
Signs of tampering
WATCH FOR PASSPORTS THAT MAY BE REJECTED! All these are examples of
unacceptable passports…
BEST ADVICE (From http://www.tsa.gov website)
“Passports tend to be more or less the be all and end all of travel documents. Due to the status, they should be kept in
immaculate condition so that there are no challenges encountered when traveling. Realize that customs officers utilize
this document allowing people within their country and it is easily understandable why they are put under so much
scrutiny. Widespread ways which people damage passports consist of dropping them in water, leaving them in their
clothing in the washing machine, mud, tears, rips, stains, animal bite damage, and other various wear issues. Water
damage has become the most standard reason for passport damage.
Customs officials look quite carefully at a passport that appears to be altered in any way, and they have every right to
deny entry should they think these modifications had been done to falsify documents. For this reason it is best to merely
replace the actual passport versus risking being denied entry into a foreign country.”