Frustration with Immigration Wasting Passport Pages

[Villapete]

I went to Samut Prakarn Immigration today to get a 60 day extension based on marriage. The previous stamp I had sat at the top of a page and could have been put on the previous page of my passport which was nearly empty. Not wanting to waste a page I asked the triage if the stamp today could go on the previous page as there is plenty of room for it. She said yes that is ok. Then I asked the immigration officer to do so when I was being served. She said that she would do it if it fits. Despite this and the fact that the new stamp would have fit with plenty of room they did not do and placed the new stamp on the next page!

I was very frustrated and complained to the supervisor explaining that I has specifically asked for the stamp on the previous page as passports are expensive. The response was...'well, it is your country that charges a lot of money for passports!'

Well lots of medals but clearly non for competence and humility.

Petty problem but annoying to ask officialdom for something reasonable and just get nonsense sometimes.

Do stamps have to follow each other in a passport? Is it possible for the empty space to be filled later

[Mario2008]

Empty spaces can be filled up later.

[ubonjoe]

Stamps can be put anywhere. The do not have to be in any order.

I have stamps all over the place in my old passports. I have an entry stamp for Algeria in one that was put over the seam between 2 pages. If you travel a lot you get accustomed to it.

[OMGImInPattaya]

And some people wonder why he immigration folks can be curt...they have to deal with people like this everyday.

[BoonToong]

Does anyone know if there is a maximum number of stamps per page? Over the years for me it seems to be 6 per page.

Also, can the stamps overlap at all?

[Villapete]

OMG

I am not a rich person. I paid just under 10k for a new passport less than 18 months ago. 16 pages have gone already!

My point was I had asked very politely two times and they agreed to the request. I also complained politely and the response was rude and incorrect.

Not sure exactly what you mean by 'people like this'. I acknowledge that the complaint and the issue was petty but still a little frustrating for me. You may have a different view on the matter and that is fair enough. Good luck to you.

[ubonjoe]

Does anyone know if there is a maximum number of stamps per page? Over the years for me it seems to be 6 per page.

Also, can the stamps overlap at all?

There is no limit on the number of stamps on a page.

I think I have a page in an old passport that could have 20 entry and departure stamps on it for different countries that do overlap .

[Mario2008]

Does anyone know if there is a maximum number of stamps per page? Over the years for me it seems to be 6 per page.

Also, can the stamps overlap at all?

As long as it fits.

Overlapping happens, but is normally not done on purpose. Stamps have security features, which could become invissable.

[daveAustin]

OMG

I am not a rich person. I paid just under 10k for a new passport less than 18 months ago. 16 pages have gone already!

I would just ignore rubbish responses like that, some people come on here just to pick holes and wind people up, and yet huff and puff when sh1.t doesn't go their way.

Immigration the world over seem to be inept at stamping (UK spread two right across the front pages of missus PP), though I have found Thai immigration quite adept in the past. As others have mentioned, if space runs low, they'll find somewhere and best not to let stuff like this get to you.

[OMGImInPattaya]

OMG

I am not a rich person. I paid just under 10k for a new passport less than 18 months ago. 16 pages have gone already!

My point was I had asked very politely two times and they agreed to the request. I also complained politely and the response was rude and incorrect.

Not sure exactly what you mean by 'people like this'. I acknowledge that the complaint and the issue was petty but still a little frustrating for me. You may have a different view on the matter and that is fair enough. Good luck to you.

I get your point that one doesn't want to waste passport pages. I just ordered a new US passport for $150 or so. I also specified the "jumbo" version, which has something like double the pages of a standard passport (28 pages with about 20 available for stamps/visas vs. almost 60). The cost is the same. Maybe your country has something similar next time you get a new passport. Also, you may be able to add extra pages to your passport if you run out of pages for less than the cost of a new passport...US passport holders can.

Yes, your complaint was very petty and I liked the imm. officer's comeback Better luck next time.

[SoFarAndNear]

I already have 3 blank pages because on Lao Trip the Lao Immigration skipped 1 page for the Visa on arrival sticker then the Thai Embassy skipped 1 for the thai visa sticker page and the thai border officer skipped 1 page for the entry stamp... since then every new extension stamp by Thai Immigration was after the last entry stamp

[The Fat Controller]

A blank page is not a wasted page , who told you that.

My passport is random scatter with visas and stamps.

[Gonsalviz]

Does anyone know if there is a maximum number of stamps per page? Over the years for me it seems to be 6 per page.

Also, can the stamps overlap at all?

I have traveled for years. I have had 2 or 3 passports with 3 extension pages (US). No immigration I have encountered has ever told me they couldn't stamp my passport because of no space.

2 times in Holland they just handed my passport back saying I had too many stamps. It confused me the first time but their responsibility is to make sure you come and go. If your passport is full, they can pretty well assume that you do exactly that.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Does anyone know if there is a maximum number of stamps per page? Over the years for me it seems to be 6 per page.

Also, can the stamps overlap at all?

I have traveled for years. I have had 2 or 3 passports with 3 extension pages (US). No immigration I have encountered has ever told me they couldn't stamp my passport because of no space.

2 times in Holland they just handed my passport back saying I had too many stamps. It confused me the first time but their responsibility is to make sure you come and go. If your passport is full, they can pretty well assume that you do exactly that.

This happened to me once when leaving the Philippines...after checking that I hadn't over-stayed the immigration officer just handed back my passport. There was plenty of space on the page so I just put it down to general Filipino laziness

[samsensam]

having travelled widely this is a problem everywhere. you just have to accept it and as others say spaces will be filled.

what puzzles me is that if immigration officers worldwide stamped passports using consecutive pages it would make reading a passport easier making their job easier and saving time for everyone...

[Langsuan Man]

having travelled widely this is a problem everywhere. you just have to accept it and as others say spaces will be filled.

what puzzles me is that if immigration officers worldwide stamped passports using consecutive pages it would make reading a passport easier making their job easier and saving time for everyone...

That doesn't seem to be in their procedure manuals

I have requested both at Immigration and at the Thai Embassy that expired O-A visas be stamped USED after they expire but no one will do it. Currently I have 5 in my passport and every time I go through they spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find the current visa, not to mention trying to find the latest stamp

[OMGImInPattaya]

having travelled widely this is a problem everywhere. you just have to accept it and as others say spaces will be filled.

what puzzles me is that if immigration officers worldwide stamped passports using consecutive pages it would make reading a passport easier making their job easier and saving time for everyone...

That doesn't seem to be in their procedure manuals

I have requested both at Immigration and at the Thai Embassy that expired O-A visas be stamped USED after they expire but no one will do it. Currently I have 5 in my passport and every time I go through they spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find the current visa, not to mention trying to find the latest stamp

That's funny, they stamp my standard non-imm and tourist visas "used" after their last valid entry. In Amy case, once they have expired, you could just mark them used yourself with a pen/marker or buy your own stamp. As to finding the current entry stamp, I just mark the page with a Post-it note (or sometimes note the passport page number/letter on the back of the TM slip).

[johnh869]

Actually it is to the immigration's advantage to keep the exit and entry stamps of a certain trip on the same page if possible. I have this problem on my PR book but I haven't left Thailand since 2002 so I'm not concerned about it at the moment.

[SoFarAndNear]

Actually it is to the immigration's advantage to keep the exit and entry stamps of a certain trip on the same page if possible. I have this problem on my PR book but I haven't left Thailand since 2002 so I'm not concerned about it at the moment.

Ok it is there advantage but your problem when they just skip your pages. As I said before. I have 3 blank pages straggeling on 3 previous pages of fully extension stamped pages. I asked already twice at thai borders if they can stamp on blank previous pages. They always told me that they "have to" stamp next to the last visa or exit entry stamp...

We all pay much money for the visas and extensions, so we can expect that they at least not waste our pages... because later if the thing is full and there are blank pages mixed through the passport it will be even more difficult to find the stamps and stickers...

[OMGImInPattaya]

Actually it is to the immigration's advantage to keep the exit and entry stamps of a certain trip on the same page if possible. I have this problem on my PR book but I haven't left Thailand since 2002 so I'm not concerned about it at the moment.

Ok it is there advantage but your problem when they just skip your pages. As I said before. I have 3 blank pages straggeling on 3 previous pages of fully extension stamped pages. I asked already twice at thai borders if they can stamp on blank previous pages. They always told me that they "have to" stamp next to the last visa or exit entry stamp...

We all pay much money for the visas and extensions, so we can expect that they at least not waste our pages... because later if the thing is full and there are blank pages mixed through the passport it will be even more difficult to find the stamps and stickers...

Oh come on...don't wet your pants. If and when all the pages but the 3 in the middle are filled, the immigration officers will flip through your passport and find these pages and start using them.