How many pages needed for passport?
 

Hi everyone! I am about to embark on 3 months in SE Asia and it just occurred to me I might be in danger of running out of room in my passport. I have about 3 full blank pages, and quite a few with only 1 stamp on it, but I was thinking with all the border crossing and VISA hustling I might be doing on my journey that I might hit a snag. I go from Boston to Ireland, Ireland to London, London to Bangkok, Bangkok to Cambodia, Vietnam, back to Thailand, then to Indonesia, Australia and Fiji. Would this be enough? What happens if you go and you don't have pages?? Any suggestions would be great.

Many thanks,
Kathryn

Katherine: Go and get a new passport NOW. I can't even be bothered explaining why.

Just do it, please, for Dogster.

Otherwise I'll worry.

Get more pages put in before you go. For Cambodia, for instance, you need a full page, and I seem to remember that you must have space on a facing page to stamp you in and out. The VN Visa (which must be arranged in advance) is a full page as well. There are people who have been turned away from Cambodia for not having blank pages in their passport.

By the way, if you can't get balnk pages put in your passport before you leave, make sure you have time somewhere to visit a US embassy to have more pages put in. It's a quick process.

dogster and I were posting at the same time. I know that in Australia, you have to get a whole new passport. In the US, you can have pages added quickly and easily.

One more note - I just noticed in your other post that you are going overland into VN. You must have the VN visa in your passport to enter VN. And when you apply for your VN visa you must specify your entry date. You will not under any circumstances be allowed into VN before that date. So give a date a day or two befoer you actually plan to be there just in case.

In the US, it typically takes a lot less time to get pages added than to get a passport renewal. And, the extra pages are free.

Yes, I stand corrected. The essential point remains. She ain't got enough pages.

It's funny, in Oz we can drop our details off at the post office and, within 5 days, sometimes less, be holding our new passport. It's a genuine miracle.

Some US Embassies can add pages if you need them.

I had pages added in Bangkok when I didn't have room for a China Visa. Took a few hours.

LOL, gotcha guys, I am so glad I posted this! I am a dual citizen of the US and Australia but my Aussie passport has expired. Do you guys think it would be more useful to flash the Aussie or the US passport when I am passing through?

I also didn't know you could just go get pages added without getting a whole new passport, so thanks for that! I think I will just go get my Aussie one up to date to be safe too.

You all are the best! I did buy the lonely planet Asia on a shoestring book and am anxiously awaiting is arrival so I can leave you all alone! : )

-Kat

P.S How do I apply for that VN visa before entering? Do it from Cambodia?

You can apply for a VN visa here in the US or you can do so in other places that have an embassy or consulate. You can do it in Cambodia - just make sure you give yourself enough time to get it. Youe will be turned back at the border if you don't have it.

Hi,

We just got more pages added to our US passport. It took 2 1/2 weeks from the time mailed till returned. Then we sent it to VN Embassy in NY for the visa. Mailed as they require on Sat moring and came back in the mail the next Fri. Seven days!

Have a good trip!

I have gotten VN visas in Siem Reap twice, both times it took 3 days.

BTW if you do an evisa for Cambodia, you end up with a little stamp, not a full page. Similar to what you get in thailand.

Good advise to get some pages put into your passport. Those big fat passports are super sexy!

i live in boston also and the last time i needed more pages i got the form at the post office i think or on line and mailed in the passport...it took two weeks and there was not charge, but now i think there might be a charge....you might check with passport service at the federal building in boston and they may be able to do it for you as a walk in

The REAL advantage for an Australian passport holder is that you qualify for an APAC Business Travel Card, which will let you into many Asian countries an unlimited number of times for stays of 2-3 months <i>without needing or paying for a visa</i>. It also lets you go through the fast track lines at immigration, or the residents’ lines if there is no fast track. The APAC card is a visa-waiver program for a large number of countries in Asia-Pacific, including Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. It costs AUS$200, see http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/business/apec/index.htm for information on obtaining the card in Australia; it takes some time to apply and obtain it, but would be quite valuable to you if you can get it. You have to be “employed”, technically in an APAC country, but read the rules to see if you qualify. If you have a relative in Australia who will &quot;employ&quot; you, that may be sufficient. I can’t wait to get mine, but I need 2 more years here in Hong Kong before I qualify.

Other than that, generally, US and Australia citizens receive the same visa treatment, but in some cases visa costs may be less for one versus the other; you would have to check websites for the various countries you are visiting. Also, the Australian passport may get you into shorter immigration lines in Commonwealth countries (UK, Singapore, Malaysia) or offer longer stays.

Make sure you remember to show the same passport when leaving that you showed when entering.

Recently one of my customers was refused entry to Indonesia (Jakarta) because she had fewer than 6 visa pages in her passport. Eventually, she was admitted, but it was aggravating and money changed hands.

They made a special point that the blank pages had to be VISA pages, not the ones that are titled notes. I don't know that this is an official regulation or just an excuse for unscrupulous cusoms officials to shakedown travelers, but it's good to be prepared.

The integrity of Indonesian customs both in Jakarta and Bali has vastly improved in recent years, but there are still some bad apples. Best to be prepared with 6 extra visa pages, 6 months before expiration date -- and have an envelope ready just in case.

Have plenty of pages. Note enterting Thailand by air you will get 30 days but if you cross over by land you will now only get 15 days.
As a side note:

Isn't it annoying the way stamps are banged right in the center of a blank page!

weird - when at school we learn to write from the top left, when we work we hopefully learn to do things neat, tidy, in order, so what is with the bang of the stamp across a page. It is not time as it's not like it s takes second to deal with anymore.
Thailand isn't bad, on a trip to Australia every one of our 4 passports had stamps banged right in the center of empty pages. When leaving, 1 had the exit stamp on same page as entry, all others were in the middle of blank pages.
Not a big deal but it is annoying having to pay for new passports and surely it 'delays the process' not having stamps neatly, in order in a passport, left to right, top to bottom.

I forgot to mention that we got 20 new pages each less than a month ago and they were free. We did down load the form from the internet and sent the form and passport in...little over two weeks later a nice fat passport.

We were also advised that the pages needed to be visas pages for the visas and entry and exit stamps.

I totally agree....why can't they put the stamp in one of the four squares on the page...that part has always amazed me.

When I was in Thailand I went to the US Embassy and they sewed extra pages into my passport. It was free and it took less than half an hour, closer to 20 minutes I think.

They do the same service in Manila too. I suppose you can get this done in many embassies.

Good luck.