My USA Passport has 6 clear/empty pages. Time to replace?

[JimmyJ]

Plus 1 page is 2/3 empty.

 

Of the 6 clear pages, two have 1 staple in them and one has 2 staples.

If I remove the staples and stapled papers, will Immigration (anywhere but mainly Thailand) be OK with using those pages or do they avoid them due to the small staple holes?

 

Basically, is it that time to deal with getting a new Passport?

Edited July 10, 2022 by JimmyJ

[Sheryl]

Never had an issue re staples.

[ubonjoe]

No problem to have holes from a staple in them.

Are part of the 6 pages the last 3 in your passport that are for endorsements?

Dependent on how much you will be traveling it may be time to get a new passport.

[JimmyJ]

19 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

No problem to have holes from a staple in them.

Are part of the 6 pages the last 3 in your passport that are for endorsements?

Dependent on how much you will be traveling it may be time to get a new passport.

Yes, all 3 endorsement pages are included in the 6.

 

I never noticed/read the writing on the side of those pages before.

 

What sort of endorsements is it referring to?

 

If this means no stamps can go on those 3 pages, then I guess it's definitely time for a new one...?

[howlee101]

If have the luxury of time, I would suggest getting a new passport.  A few years ago while getting an extension in Chiang Mai, I had two blank pages left (after the extension stamp).  The IO told me to get a new passport because additional extension would be disapproved.  

[ThailandRyan]

13 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

Yes, all 3 endorsement pages are included in the 6.

 

I never noticed/read the writing on the side of those pages before.

 

What sort of endorsements is it referring to?

 

If this means no stamps can go on those 3 pages, then I guess it's definitely time for a new one...?

I needed to do a border bounce in 2018 and was down to just the back 2 pages for an actual Visa sticker from Laos. As my other pages all were 2/3rds full. They used the last page, endorsement pages begrudgingly but still I was able to bounce out and then back in as there was room for the Thai stamps on a previous page. I then went to the embassy and got a new passport upon my return to Bangkok. It is doable but I would try and get a new passport. They do not add pages anymore.

Edited July 10, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

13 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

 

 

What sort of endorsements is it referring to?

 

 

 I have Thai Auto Channel stickers on one of the endorsement pages in my passport.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, JimmyJ said:

Basically, is it that time to deal with getting a new Passport?

Why do people torment themselves with issues about # of pages or expiry date. 

Most passports are valid for 10 years.

Obtain a new one if you have time on your permission of stay to allow for that. 

Just get a renewal of pp well prior to empty Guage, simple. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by DrJack54

[problemfarang]

If you will take a new visa staple pages will be problem. they wont put visa there, because the page is damaged for the visa. But if only stamp, no problem.

 

if you think too much about this, why dont you get a new passport and feel more comfy and no stress..

[ubonjoe]

12 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

Yes, all 3 endorsement pages are included in the 6.

I never noticed/read the writing on the side of those pages before.

What sort of endorsements is it referring to?

If this means no stamps can go on those 3 pages, then I guess it's definitely time for a new one...?

Educements could be a from a embassy or a governmental agency and etc.

Immigration and embassies can refuse to put stamps or stickers on those pages.

It time for you to get a new passport. You will apply for and receive it by mail from the US embassy in Bangkok.

See: https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

[khunjeff]

13 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

What sort of endorsements is it referring to?

These could be something like limiting the passport for direct return to the US if you took out a repatriation loan, or changes of expiration date for limited passports. In practice, endorsements aren't used much these days, since usually they'll just issue a new document instead.

 

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Immigration and embassies can refuse to put stamps or stickers on those pages.

That's true. The US Government doesn't care if those pages are used for visas or other stamps (since they're unlikely to ever be used for endorsements), but some foreign governments absolutely refuse to use them.

 

13 hours ago, problemfarang said:

If you will take a new visa staple pages will be problem. they wont put visa there, because the page is damaged for the visa. But if only stamp, no problem.

That depends entirely on the whim of the particular embassy - I've certainly had visa stickers placed on pages with staple holes. In the old days, when Thai Immigration stapled the TM6 into the passport every time, most pages would end up with holes if you traveled frequently.

[skatewash]

As the OP is American he should know that US passport renewal takes about 2-3 weeks, and is handled entirely by mail by US Embassy Bangkok.  Very easy to do this:

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

[zzzzz]

when i am down to 3 pages, i get  a new one>
living in SE asia a new US passport only take 2 weeks

stables i always remove, small holes...no problems

seems my 10 year passports never get beyond 6  LOL

[Pib]

19 minutes ago, skatewash said:

As the OP is American he should know that US passport renewal takes about 2-3 weeks, and is handled entirely by mail by US Embassy Bangkok.  Very easy to do this:

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

Yeap...renewed my U.S. passport by mail a few months ago.....total time required including all going & coming mail time was 18 days.  

[Andycoops]

My UK passport is valid for another 2.5 years but only has 3 pages empty.

Once I have my next extension in November, I will apply for a new one.

As the current situation is a shambolic lottery, a friend waited 5 months here to get his returned, I will hopefully be able to travel in the spring next year to visit my family.

[CMBob]

I waited until I had 2 pages left and then got a new (US) passport.....and just noticed in my older passport that Immigration (Chiangmai) had used three "Endorsement" pages for stamps.  That being said, as long as you have time, get a new one now as the process is easy from here and you'll get it done in about 2 weeks or less (if applying by mail here in Thailand).  

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, CMBob said:

I waited until I had 2 pages left and then got a new (US) passport.....and just noticed in my older passport that Immigration (Chiangmai) had used three "Endorsement" pages for stamps.  That being said, as long as you have time, get a new one now as the process is easy from here and you'll get it done in about 2 weeks or less (if applying by mail here in Thailand).  

Thailand does seem to use multiple pages Instead of filling one up. In my old passport they stamped an entry stamp in the middle of one page and the reentry stamp below it, rendering the page useless for others.

[USEpat]

I had this issue in China and the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai added blanks pages to my then current passport. Not sure what the U.S. Consulate in Bangkok might do.

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, USEpat said:

I had this issue in China and the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai added blanks pages to my then current passport. Not sure what the U.S. Consulate in Bangkok might do.

Starting in 2016 the US stopped adding pages to passports.  I had to obtain a new passport in order to travel to the Phils that summer as I had no room in my then passport, I had already had the Embassy in BKK add the pages back in 2014 on a trip from Udon Thani.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, USEpat said:

I had this issue in China and the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai added blanks pages to my then current passport. Not sure what the U.S. Consulate in Bangkok might do.

The US stopped adding pages several years ago.

[MrJ2U]

17 hours ago, howlee101 said:

If have the luxury of time, I would suggest getting a new passport.  A few years ago while getting an extension in Chiang Mai, I had two blank pages left (after the extension stamp).  The IO told me to get a new passport because additional extension would be disapproved.  

Very easy.  

 

Make it a little holiday if you live far from Chiang Mail.  They'll mail it to you within 2 weeks. ( New passport).

 

 

[mikeymike100]

Staple holes aren't a a problem, I have had stamps over staple holes.

Six pages left, depends how much you travel? If its only once a year......?

[zzzzz]

5 hours ago, USEpat said:

I had this issue in China and the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai added blanks pages to my then current passport. Not sure what the U.S. Consulate in Bangkok might do.

When ? as it certainly was not recently.  extra blank pages were stopped jan 1st 2016

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by zzzzz

[Pib]

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/changes_us_passport_service-2/

 

[retiree]

Fwiw, for the past decade or so I have not been shy about asking passport control officers to put their entry/exit stamp on a specific blank spot on a specific page (that might have been skipped earlier).  They understand the problem, and are usually willing to accommodate.   Makes the pages go a lot further.

-- Retiree

[blackshadow]

get it renewed better to be safe than sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kinyara]

Does the expiry date on your passport have to be a certain minimum length of time when you apply for your annual extension of stay ?  I renew in May and my passport expires the following February.

[ThailandRyan]

11 minutes ago, kinyara said:

Does the expiry date on your passport have to be a certain minimum length of time when you apply for your annual extension of stay ?  I renew in May and my passport expires the following February.

Your extension of stay will only be given up until the date of your passports expiration unfortunately.

[DrJack54]

25 minutes ago, kinyara said:

  I renew in May and my passport expires the following February

Obtain passport renewal.

You have plenty of time. 

If not your extension will be approx 9 months and you would need to obtain a renewal for the extension after that. 

Edited July 15, 2022 by DrJack54

[kinyara]

^ Thank you both ThailandRyan and Dr Jack54 for the replies ????. Since I'm not planning any immediate travel it makes sense to sort it out sooner rather than later.