Doing This Seemingly Innocent Thing on Vacation Could Make Your Passport Invalid

"According to the U.S. Department of State, damage includes "stains from a liquid, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages (torn out), or a hole punch." In practice, what counts as "damage" isn't always clear-cut, and different countries may have different standards. A mark that one border agent ignores might lead another to reject your document entirely. That uncertainty makes souvenir stamps risky since you never know how they'll be interpreted next."

"Yet that same "fun" stamp can be the difference between boarding your flight home and being stranded in a foreign country. Across many borders, immigration officers are trained to scrutinize passports for unauthorized alterations or markings. So that seemingly innocent Machu Picchu stamp-one of the most popular souvenir stamps around-could be viewed not as a harmless keepsake but as an unauthorized alteration that might jeopardize your ability to travel."

Souvenir passport stamps, though seemingly harmless, may be treated as unauthorized alterations and could jeopardize travel plans. Immigration officers across many borders scrutinize passports for unofficial markings; a souvenir stamp like those from Machu Picchu can be interpreted as an alteration. The U.S. Department of State defines damage to passports to include stains, tears, unofficial markings, missing visa pages, or hole punches, and unauthorized marks can render a passport invalid. Different countries and individual agents may apply standards unevenly, and increasing automation such as fingerprinting and face scans has tightened scrutiny, making souvenir stamps a risky keepsake choice.

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