British woman barred from flight to Thailand because she had novelty stamp in her passport

[webfact]

STAMP IT OUT 

Passenger barred from flight because she had novelty stamp in her passport

By Lauren McMah for News.com.au

 

Tina Sibley, who lives in Spain, was booked to fly to Phuket in February to attend a wedding. Credit: Tina Sibley

 

A BRITISH woman is warning tourists against getting novelty stamps in their passports after one got her rejected from a flight to Thailand.

 

Tina Sibley, who lives in Spain, was booked to fly to Phuket in February to attend a wedding but was stopped from boarding her Qatar Airways flight at Madrid airport.

 

Staff told her it was due to an issue on page six of her British passport.

 

On that page was a souvenir stamp from Peru that commemorated her visit in August to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu as well as the national park of Vinicunca.

 

Novelty passport stamps are available at several tourist attractions, such as Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, the city of Ciudad Mitad del Mundo in Ecuador where the equator runs through, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan and a gift shop in the Welsh village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which is famous for having the world’s longest place name.

 

But Ms Sibley was told the unofficial, souvenir stamp from Peru “invalidated” her passport.

 

Full story: https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/11132135/barred-novelty-stamp-passport/#

 

-- THE SUN 2020-03-10

[Kelsall]

My passport contains this statement:

 

"This passport must not be altered or mutilated in any way. Alteration could make the passport invalid, and if willful, may subject you to prosecution (Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1543). Only authorized officials of the United States or of foreign countries may place stamps or make notations or additions in this passport."

 

Don't British passports have something similar?

Edited March 9, 2020 by Kelsall

[daveAustin]

Oh well, at least she'll avoid ole corona... just don't visit Italy instead 

[Kelsall]

7 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Oh well, at least she'll avoid ole corona... just don't visit Italy instead 

She got an emergency passport and went to Thailand.

[RJRS1301]

Proves you jmay have the money to travel, but no common sense.

Can't cure stupid

[Puchaiyank]

Never heard of such bunk...

[ravip]

19 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Never heard of such bunk...

Well, now you finally have!

[balo]

She is lucky, now she can isolate herself at home inststead of catching the nasty corona. 

[spiekerjozef]

11 minutes ago, balo said:

She is lucky, now she can isolate herself at home inststead of catching the nasty corona. 

What makes you think her home (country) is safe?

[Kelsall]

19 minutes ago, balo said:

She is lucky, now she can isolate herself at home inststead of catching the nasty corona. 

She got an emergency passport and went to Thailand.

[lazygourmet]

2 hours ago, pdtokyo said:

Dear oh dear. The things people do.

 

i'm a dual Oz-UK citizen and still have my (expired) UK passport, it's tucked away in my sock drawer and since the Brexit vote i've felt a mild sense of shame for even keeping the thing but re-cycling that once-respected document as an album for my theme-park novelty stamp collection? Brilliant! Thanks Tina Sibley.

 

Now ... where did i leave that Sanrio Puroland brochure? 

I was collecting them during my journey around the world and never faced any troubles. But that happened +30 years ago. 

[trainman34014]

Can never understand why people have to mess around or deface one of the most important documents they will ever own, sheer stupidity !

Edited March 10, 2020 by trainman34014

[MJKT2014]

3 hours ago, Kelsall said:

Don't British passports have something similar?

Nothing of the sort in a British Passport, it simply says: 

“Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”

[steven100]

do i need to remove my Doraemon cartoon stamps ....

 

[rabas]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

and a gift shop in the Welsh village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which is famous for having the world’s longest place name.

Surely, you jest. I live in -

 

KrungThepMahanakhonAmonRattanakosinMahintharaAyuthayaMahadilokPhopNoppharatRatchathaniBuriromUdomratchaniwetMahasathanAmonPimanAwatanSathitSakkathattiyaWitsanukamPrasit.

 

 

[tifino]

 

just like American Express;

 

"Never Leave Home Without It"

 

 

  

suitable for all those other occasions...

 

[BobBKK]

Not much sympathy she let someone interfere with her passport.

[legend49]

2 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

Never heard of such bunk...

Qatar airways refused to fly her. So she tried Emirates who contacted Thai authorities who gave the final refusal until she had a new passport.

[tonray]

Has she started the GoFundMe page for the new passport fee ?

[fred110]

Ok, don't fly Qatar Air

[alanrchase]

1 hour ago, MJKT2014 said:

Nothing of the sort in a British Passport, it simply says: 

“Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”

You never read past page one? Look under the "Notes" page.

[justin case]

no picture of what they mean with novelty stamp ?

[RJRS1301]

2 minutes ago, justin case said:

no picture of what they mean with novelty stamp ?

Anything that is not an offical immigration border stamp

[charlie farnsbarns]

Symptomatic of the way things are going.  Control creep. The world losing its sense of humour. When there's too many people the rules become more nuanced. We are less free now than we have ever been, in terms of permissible eccentricity.

 

[Traubert]

2 hours ago, pdtokyo said:

...the visa equivalent of a viral super-spreader ...

I wondered who'd be first......

[orchis]

1 hour ago, justin case said:

no picture of what they mean with novelty stamp ?

her stamps:

[Proboscis]

7 hours ago, Kelsall said:

My passport contains this statement:

 

"This passport must not be altered or mutilated in any way. Alteration could make the passport invalid, and if willful, may subject you to prosecution (Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1543). Only authorized officials of the United States or of foreign countries may place stamps or make notations or additions in this passport."

 

Don't British passports have something similar?

Yes, but certain countries insist on taking up a page and a half of my passport just to visit for up to 4 weeks!

[sanemax]

7 hours ago, Kelsall said:

My passport contains this statement:

 

"This passport must not be altered or mutilated in any way. Alteration could make the passport invalid, and if willful, may subject you to prosecution (Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1543). Only authorized officials of the United States or of foreign countries may place stamps or make notations or additions in this passport."

 

Don't British passports have something similar?

We have a message from the Queen telling everyone to let us in or she will get annoyed 

[edwinchester]

6 hours ago, pdtokyo said:

Dear oh dear. The things people do.

 

i'm a dual Oz-UK citizen and still have my (expired) UK passport, it's tucked away in my sock drawer and since the Brexit vote i've felt a mild sense of shame for even keeping the thing but re-cycling that once-respected document as an album for my theme-park novelty stamp collection? Brilliant! Thanks Tina Sibley.

 

Now ... where did i leave that Sanrio Puroland brochure? 

Hold on to it, there may be a further run on toilet paper.

[Metropolitian]

7 hours ago, Kelsall said:

My passport contains this statement:

 

"This passport must not be altered or mutilated in any way.

 How many staples and holes are in it right now ?