Blank Passport Pages

[Robert Eric Venge]

Have a British Passport, and ive just noticed that the pages are all numberd on the bottom.

pages 2,5,6,7, are all blank with no stamps, the rest up to page 24 have stamps on them, pages 25-31are blank and clear for stamps.

I just been told that when my pages 25- 31 have been used up with stamps , the empty pages 2,5,6,7, cannot be used for stamps as they would be out of date order..?

Which sounds as if when you get a new passport the offical who first stamps your passport pages should start and put the first stamp on page 1. and so on...? so when any future official looks through your pass port they can see your exit / entry movments in choronological order..?

if this is true this would mean my pages 2,5,6,7,would stay blank and would be wasted...?

Does any one know More....?

Many Thanks.......

[george]

You can use them. Your source was wrong.

[peter991]

My passport is an Australian one - with gaps at the start, then a few stamps then more blank pages.

Anybody know the reason for this? Also I agree: Why aren't the stamps placed in chronological order?

Peter

[bino]

George is right, and your source is wrong!

Immigrations officials can stamp anywhere in the book that there is space available. My current passport has 48 pages. Trying to follow the dates / places in my passport involves flipping front to back many times!

I've noticed that th US likes to stamp on the last or back pages, Singapore likes to stamp as close to the front as possible. When I went to Indonesia they stamped on page 36... 9 empty pages in front and 11 behind. Go figure.

[george]

No logic at all. They can stamp everywhere they want - beacuse they CAN:

http://www.thaivisa.com/568.0.html

[RDN]

No logic at all. They can stamp everywhere they want - beacuse they CAN:

http://www.thaivisa.com/568.0.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think Big Spuds would like to get hold of him!!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

You can use them. Your source was wrong.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with George 100 per cent.

[naka]

Just bored government officials doing a repetitive mind numbing job.

Happened in every passport I've had. No problem at all.

Naka.

[frenchFARANGbkk]

Just have to tell to the 'stamping guy' where he should stamp (but it happened once that he didn't like I gave my opinion!) ;-)

[PeaceBlondie]

My passport requires a lot of flipping through. For years, it's been that way. Generally they look for the first blank page, though. About 15 countries since 1998 - no real consistency.

[~G~]

The brilliant border officers in Mynamar put their stamp in my "Corrections and Additions" page! Altough I had many empty "Visas" pages.

My right-to-left passport always freaks them out. Try to open it left-to-right, find out the writing is upside down, turn it, flip it again, finally giving up and stamping wherever.

Edited May 16, 2005 by ~G~

[RamTodatry]

Your source was wrong.

The immigration dolts in many countries just stamp wherever they please - usually the first blank page they open the passport to - except in some countries like Singapore, Malaysia. or Cambodia.

My current US passport (barely two years old) already filled up and I had to add more pages. I usually use a couple of paper clips - one to clip the used pages in front and guide the immigration official to the next page with space for stamps or the next blank page, and the second one to clip all the unused blank pages at the back.

This usually works well, although some immigration officials remove the clips to browse through the stamped pages and the unstamped pages. I just keep mum and reclip the pages again when I get to the passport back.

Also whenever I visit Singapore I specifically ask them to stamp on a previous page with some space for stamps and they gladly oblige.

This keeps my stamps mostly in order.

[Jai Dee]

Why aren't the stamps placed in chronological order?

I find it especially frustrating that it is usually the Australian Customs officials who do this... stamps upside down, or near the end of the passport etc.

Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. all seem to try to maintain a logical and chronological order.

[alex_4000]

Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. all seem to try to maintain a logical and chronological order.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

more or less chronological, i agree. but when i was getting a non-immigrant visa for thailand in frankfurt last year, they sticked it somewhere right into the middle of the empty pages. too busy looking for the "right" page (or anywhere close) i reckon...

[Rinrada]

I used to have a couple of the old UK cardboard covered hard back passports pinned together which had I believe 98 pages in each (total almost 200)which you needed when visiting places like the middle east (mostly saudi/iraq) and Africa (Nigeria 7 others)

At that time (and assume same)you had to get your Visitors visa-Temp Stay- Work-residents-Address-Right to Enter-Entrance-Right to stay-Right to Exit -Exit and in some cases stamps for internal travel...never mind driving licenses-local I.Ds -facility permits -right to Access -work-security- clearance and in some places even a stamp to go and use the local markets....no stamp -NO Yum Yum(food) ....al tin pot......beach resorts.

Back at Heathrow it was a case of ...yes Sir and where have you just come from...flicking his way as said through almost 200 pages of hundreds of multi-coloured and indeciperable "Chops"

The Thai multi entry in comparison is almost lonely