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Why aren't passports stamped on the first blank page instead of any-old-place? And why aren't visas placed on the first blank page in your passport instead of any-old-place?
I have to get 2 new visas. I've got enough blank pages but they're scattered throughout the passport instead of at the rear. Might this be a problem?? I'm kind of worried about this.
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Visa/passport stamps peeve
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It's not a problem as long as there is an entire blank page for each visa. The immigration officers love flipping through the passports to find visas (and to stamp their stamps on random pages).
You could also have additional pages added to your passport.
But I agree with yk, the immigration officers do that for 8 or whatever hours, they're not going to look for the NEXT page, they just look for one where they can stamp it. I added pages twice to my previous passport and ended up with few pages somewhere in the middle that were clean, yet I had stamps and visas all over the place. It's not a problem.
YK and AAF-
Thanks for the help.
I recently had pages added to my passport when with just a couple of scattered pages left, I was advised that my next visa required a full page and sometimes the country required a blank page opposite, just depending on who you dealt with.
The visa was placed in the center of the new blank pages. Upon entry to the country, the stamp was placed opposite. Upon exit, the officer flipped pages and found a place to stamp in the margin above four other stamps, leaving all those new pages intact. You never know.
AAFF - How many times can you have pages added to your passport? I've already had pages added once and it is filling up again.
Then again, it may not matter. The last couple of people to stamp my passport haven't even bothered to find an empty space and have just stamped over other stamps.
I'm not sure there is a limit. I did it twice, so at least that many times.
(wife has her own business and can't afford the time to travel so I requested off the team and work out of the house now, for the most part).
The new passport has only couple of stamps so far and it's already 1 year old. I don't think I will need any pages added to this one. That's what happens when you fall in love and get married. The passport gets put away....
Next time you renew your passport, in addition to the standard form that you fill out (and the new photos and the fee), enclose a signed, written request for additional pages to be added right away. I just renewed mine, and instead of the usual number of pages (let's say 24, they added 48). That should hold me for awhile! I wish you didn't have to enclose the personal letter, though--it would be nice if you could just check a box asking for additional pages. The new passport design looks great--the pages are a big flashier than before (e.g., more background designs).
http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri/add/add_850.html
Aussie passports you can have a 32 page or a 64 page, however the 64 page one is around the $300 mark compared to $200 for the 32 page one.
Thanks for the tip, Fluffnfold. I hope to have all the new pages filled before I need a renewal in 3 years.