Passport falling apart - only 2 years old!

regency_man

Hi all, bit of a weird one...

The photograph page on my almost new passport is de-laminating - by that I mean the plastic laminate and the first layer of paper that has the text on is peeling away from the hard plastic backing (that holds the chip and antenna).

It's only minor at the moment, its peeled back about 0.5cm but last time I entered the US the border gaurd made a big show of inspecting the corner where it is peeling and asked me what had happened - to which I replied I had no idea! Problem is, it is getting worse, everytime a border gaurd, check-in attendant, security lane worker, gate desk attendant etc leafs through my passport it tears it a little further. I'm worried that eventually someone is going to refuse to accept it - the Passport service's website says that officials may refuse to accept it if it is damaged "beyond reasonable wear and tear". Does anyone have experience of this? Ever had a passport refused?

Now I know that you can get a replacement fairly easily, but will I have to pay full-fee for this?? It was only October 2009 when I had to stump up £80 for a renewal. I don't travel abroad very frequently, maybe 10 to 15 times a year and I've looked after this passport well, never sit on it in my back pocket or anything and when it is not in use it stays in a drawer in the study - my previous passport lasted a full 10 years with the same treatment.

To me this seems to me like a material or manufacturing defect in my passport, like it wasn't glued down properly in the first place. Does anyone know if you can claim against the IPS for this sort of thing and get a free of charge replacement under the equivalent of a 'warranty'?

Alternatively, do you think I could just glue it back down with some Prit-Stik? Or would that be more suspicious??

Thanks!

Tojo_Ralph

regency_man wrote: »

Do you think I could just glue it back down with some Prit-Stik?

No, no, no, no, no!!!!!

Now that we have cleared that one up I would recommend contacting the passport folk, explain the situation, explain that You have had issues, explain that on the last couple of occasions when returning to the UK immigration officials commented on the passports premature aging and suggested that it was in your best interests to get the passport replaced and just take it from there.

There may have been issues with a bad batch, there may be a procedure for FOC replacements where a passport is deemed to be a duffer, but you won't know until you ask the folk who can answer the question.

HedgeHunter

I would say 10-15 times a year is fairly frequent!

MiraculousM

hahaha thats what i was going to say!

2sides2everystory

Heed carefully Tojo Ralph's words.

Must have either had a fluids accident or is a bad batch.

20-30 uses is nothing.

Mine has had 60 return trips and is not showing even the slightest signs of delamination.

Whatever you do don't apply any attempted fix. Just get the Passport Office to replace it as faulty unless you know you damaged it in which case I guess you are obliged to pay for the replacement? As a backup, check your insurance to see if damage to passports might be covered in some way.

Delamination of the type you describe is exactly the type of symptom various passport inspectors (including bankworkers) are trained to suspect as tampering, so to avoid further inconvenience you need to get a new one.

Badger_Lady

regency_man wrote: »

Ever had a passport refused?

Yes! My colleague was recently refused access through the Mexican border because his passport had 'curled edges'. It sounds like yours is much worse than his!

I don't know how you get it changed but get it changed before you travel anywhere else!