Dear Cheri and Tammy,
I’m almost out of pages in my passport and heard there may be a new policy about getting additional pages for my passport. Have you any information about it?
Signed, Karen and George Boswell
Dear Karen and George,
Yes, there are changes coming very soon. By the end of 2015, travelers will no longer be able to add extra pages to their U.S. passport, instead having to renew their passport altogether, which requires more money and additional paperwork.
According to Allied Passport and Visa, beginning December 31, 2015, passport holders will no longer be able to simply pay for extra pages to add to their book when they run out of room.
Therefore, travelers looking to do so will have less than nine months to shell out the $82 fee for more pages. Keep in mind that you’ll need to have your documents sent in by December 18 in order to have the extra pages added before the new policy takes effect.
But there is some good news that comes from the State Department’s decision. New passport holders will be issued a 52-page jumbo book that will feature 20 more pages than the current standard passport. But at the same time, the increase in pages will also make the book more difficult to carry around, especially for frequent travelers.
Outside of the inability to add extra pages and the size of new passports, there appear to be no other significant changes on the horizon.
U.S. passports will continue to be valid for 10 years and travelers won’t have to worry about registering and paying for new visas before they expire so long as they bring their old stamped book along with their new one. For more information, please visit the government website at www.travel.state.gov.
If you have a travel question or problem you would like to submit please contact Tammy Sikorski or Cheri Sigurdson at El Sol Travel-located at 10325 E. Riggs Road, Suite 105, Sun Lakes, AZ 85242; or call directly at 480-895-9362; or e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]. View our web site at www.elsolvacations.net.