Korean Job Discussion Forums

[davecx82]

hey,

my passport got soaked and im afraid that this may pose a problem, especially when leaving korea.

all the info and my photo are still clearly legible, but there is an ink smudge at the top of the photo page, but it's not blocking any information.

i have a week left before i leave and getting a replacement is no problem. however, the old passport will be considered invalid and the problem is that the damaged passport has my visa! and getting a visa issued by the korean consulate will take over a week (no official express service offered).

if i do get a replacement, is it possible to use my new passport for travel and then use my old, damaged passport for the purpose of showing my visa?

i've done some googling and it appears my soaked passport will pass as long as all the info can be read easily, but still unwilling to risk it

thanks

[daniel-andersson]

Hi!

If it look like in the corner of the passport that the photo could had been replaced you can get big problems. Also attitude & look is pretty important if you do try. Try to look like a real backpacker Entering a country would probably be more difficult than leaving...

[davecx82]

[Mitsuko]

My got soaked and smudged the visa sticker, the photo page also has water marks. I have had no problems with it. I have left Korea twice since then.

[OiGirl]

I have only had problems with a damaged passport within the US, not even from the immigration people, but random security people in the airport.

If you get a new passport (turnaround time is actually less than two weeks), you can take both of them to Immigration and they will register your new passport number. They may not even write anything in the new passport. You would not even need the old damaged one to leave Korea then.

You may not have time to follow this route;.

[bixlerscott]

I moved apartment yesterday on short notice and incedently out of disorganized disorientation put my passport through the wash last night in a cargo shorts pocket yesterday sleeved into my bank book as to not lose it during my move, but forgot about it since I don't think about it while in Korea as I don't even normally carry it in Korea. It's dog eared as in being flimsy, but not falling apart nor separating; only slightly damp without the rigid book like qualities it once had. Small parts of the front blue cover are worn off, but the gold USA emblem is still on it. All the visa pages and stamps are dry, clearly readable, and in tact with the front cover photo page in tact, but wrinkled and limp. I have it drying in the sun in my window and will iron it later with cloth between the iron and passport.

I have to leave Korea in 2 weeks for Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Bali, London, and then back to the US.

Being that the information is legible and the front cover photo page is not separating with it being clearly legible to be machine read, am I OK? I do not really have time to buy another one as it takes much longer to replace a damaged passport than for a renewal if that makes any sense.

What are the guidelines customs agents commonly use for what is too worn and what is acceptable? I do plan on getting a new one back home before traveling abroad again, but I must travel in 2 weeks, because I have my flights to KL, Bali, KL, and London on Malyasian Air from Incheon.

My Korean bank book was mangled almost beyond recognition, but that's not such a problem as I have a card and can just visit my bank. Same for health insurance booklet not being a problem.

[kiknkorea]

^ It shouldn't be a problem if the photo page is in good condition and the visa pages are dry, BUT I don't work in the field so it's hard to say.
Here is some information you may find useful.

http://seoul.usembassy.gov/mutilated/damaged.html

OP, you didn't mention your country, but smudges don't sound good on the photo page. It might pay to have your consulate check it out. Best of luck.

[bixlerscott]

It's not as bad as I thought. Only the front and back cover were damp, it dried, and I ironed it flat on a glass top desk with a cotton T-shirt between the iron and passport. It's crisp as before, but the front cover has a few parts of the blue veneer like material missing near the binder. The inside photo page is not damaged nor are the visa pages and the machine reader part is clear so it must be OK. I'll go ahead and attempt to get more visa pages added since I need them.

I think I got lucky this time. My bank book took the brunt of the damage with my passport sleeved in it. The bank book is mutilated, but the passport survived. Do know that a passport damaged beyond usuable condition takes much longer to replace than a renewal. Probably better to report it lost, get the police report, and go to the nearest consulate when the passport doesn't survive a swimming trip. I only hope they don't tell me I must replace when I go to add visa pages as I'm down to 2 pages with 6 more country visas in the next 3 months. South Asian countries tend to love taking a whole page with a sparkling shiny visa stamp, except Thailand uses like only half with triangle ink stamps. This passport is only 3 years old and it's starting to wear out. When are they going to make a nice durable waterproof hi tech plastic document that might actually last the 10 years it's issued for? So many people have had issues with washing machines, sweaty humid tropical environments, and water situations while the US consulate professionals are just sick and tired of receiving worried demanding expats who are rudely told, "you have to wait!" But the traveler has a flight to catch within the next week or mere days. Traveler loses a lot of money due to having to purchase another flight unless an airline is kindly understanding of the situation to reschedule at little or no extra cost. Thai Airways are very good about being flexible like this, but others charge a whopping $450 US to reschedule an international flight. US travel agents are notorious for being nonuser friendly when a rescheduling or cancelation is necessary.

You can iron these babies extra crispy if it's in tact and all there to start with. Not so flimsy dog eared after all. I read reports of some people using flimsy dog eared passports for years, but did have issues when entering the USA. The last thing I want to do is ask a US consulate for help as there are many reports it's not a fun nor friendly experience.