Passport problem!

[Hedonista]

I've just my passport from the Chinese Embassy containing a full page visa and realised that I only have 3 blank pages left in there for stamps and another half page.

There are a few small spaces elsewhere that could take a couple of stamps if slightly overlapped but i'm seriously worried that I have not got room for my upcoming trip next week. I have to go to Malaysia, Thailand, mainland China and the back and forth between Hong Kong and Macau at least 5 times.

Does anyone know what happens if you run out of space?

[happytraveller]

No idea but I can ask at work what they do in Switzerland when such a thing happens. After all I work for customs Will see if I find something out tomorrow when I am back at work.

[gringa]

For US passports you can get extra pages sewn in. I went and had it done at the Embassy before going to Bolivia since I only had a few pages left and I didn't know how much space the visa would take up. I dropped it off and in a few days they e-mailed to let me know it was ready.

Funny, though, the Bolivian entry official thought the extra pages were suspect and didn't use them. Fortunately, the visa turned out to be only 1/2 page, so they could fit that and the entry/exit stamps on one of the last empty old pages. Since then, no one else has had a problem with the new pages.

[happytraveller]

My boss who used to work at the border just said the same, you can get more pages put in. He doesn't know how they handle it in other countries though. Best you ring customs ?

[lumi]

Not all countries will add extra pages to a passport - Australia does not do this for one.

I had the same problem recently and I simply asked all immigration offices if they would stamp certain areas in my pssport. I literally pointed to a small space and asked if they could stamp there because i am running out of space. And they all had no problem with it (except in Amsterdam but i would ask about tiny places!). I did this in Malaysia several times and they were very easy about it and even stamped partially over other stamps... I finally got a new passport a couple of days before I left the UAE and the immigration kindly stamped in my old passport (I had entered on this passport but it was now cancelled) which saved me space in my new passport

So I would flip through you passport and know where you have small spaces and start with asking if they'll stamp those. If they say not hen move on to another one.. if they reject one I ask about a slightly bigger one..

[Hedonista]

I'll have to follow Lumi's lead, I have worked out that I will just about have enough space, just hope the customs people in Malaysia and elsewhere are are as understanding with me as they were with Lumi.

[shrjeff]

Aug 12, 2011 11:23:20 GMT 2 Hedonista said:

I'll have to follow Lumi's lead, I have worked out that I will just about have enough space, just hope the customs people in Malaysia and elsewhere are are as understanding with me as they were with Lumi.

i'm sure that she's cuter than you, hedon, so good luck!

[Hedonista]

For the record they have all been very accommodating, in some cases even asking where I wanted the stamp but always squeezing them as close as possible. Funny, I have also found customs people to be so rude but if you actually talk to them with a valid request and smile I think it lightens up their tedious job!

The only place I have had a problem so far is Macau where they don't speak a word of English...

[lumi]

yeah, normally I find immigration people are friendly to me. Except in Holland where I was given the third degree (but he was just doing his job I suppose). When I re-entered the US after walking across the bridge from Canada the US immigration guy even made a joke about Canadia being crap compared to the US - I was about to tell him that Canada is way better but decided to play nice and just laugh at his joke!