FAQ on Passport Replacement
A foreign passport is not a permanent thing: today you have it, and an hour later it's no longer valid. Yes, damaging or losing it is a matter of minutes, but restoring it will take a long time. In this article, we'll discuss popular questions regarding damaged and replaced foreign passports.
Foreign passport damaged, but it contains a valid visa
Remember, we've said many times that you should take a copy of your foreign passport with you when traveling? This is exactly when it might be needed. And the situation can be anything: your passport got soaked in the rain, fell into a puddle or mud, and so on. Let's say all this happened during a trip. “Will they let me go home?”, you think. Yes, they will definitely let you into your home country, you are returning home! But if you are flying further, problems may arise. In any case, it is always at the discretion of the border guard or customs officer. If the passport is physically damaged (dog chewed it, children tore it), there's no avoiding replacement.
For example, your passport was washed out by rain, stamps and visas ran and mixed into a colorful mess. There's nothing good about this, but nothing critical either. However, if your passport got very wet, its chip, which the border guard uses to verify your information at the border, might break. If the chip cannot be read, the border guard will not receive the information and may well not let you through.
But there's another side to this: old-style foreign passports don't have chips, and border guards enter data manually for verification. If your chip cannot be read for some reason, the border guard will enter the data themselves, ask a few questions, and inform you that something is wrong with the chip.
If you are returning to Russia and were told at the border that the chip is not working, your Russian passport will help here. But in the future, it's better to replace your foreign passport to avoid surprises at the border. If one let you through, it doesn't mean others will.
The damaged passport has a valid visa. Should it also be replaced?
You don't need to reapply for the visa. The visa sticker in the passport is only for convenience, and all information about your entries and exits is stored in a database. If you have a new passport but the old one still has a valid visa, simply carry both documents with you. In this case, stamps will be placed in the new passport, and the visa will be checked using the old one.
And for all this to work as it should, you must write an application at the passport office so that the old document's pages are marked as canceled (except for the page with the valid visa). The same applies to a residence permit. If it remained in a damaged, canceled passport, it is still valid.
I have a passport with a valid visa, but the new passport has a different surname. What should I do?
If the reason is marriage and less than a month has passed since the surname change, you can travel with both passports. But take your marriage certificate with you; they might ask for it at the border. If a month has already passed, the passport and visa will be canceled. You will have to get a new visa in the new passport.
If you change your first or last name for other reasons and the new transliteration differs from the old one, the scheme is the same: take both documents. Even if the names in your passports are different, your fingerprint has not changed, so there will be no problems.
Passport with valid visa lost/stolen. How to restore?
No way. Only a new passport and a new visa will help here. In Russia, it's difficult to get a loan or anything major with a foreign passport, but if you fear something similar abroad, contact the embassy and write an application to cancel the visa. You also need to file a statement about the loss or theft of your foreign passport. Once the application is processed, your passport will be considered invalid in the international database.
What to do if your documents were stolen while traveling?>>>
Tip: carefully check your belongings if you notice your passport is missing. If you accidentally find it after filing a loss (theft) report, it will be impossible to withdraw the application.
No/little space left for stamps in the foreign passport
This is not critical and not a reason to deny you entry or exit from abroad. There is a record in the database that you crossed the border, and a stamp can be placed anywhere. However, the border guard has the right to advise you to change your passport.
Experienced travelers say that you can indicate the place for the stamp yourself. There are also rumors that Russian border guards are more particular about the lack of space for a stamp than foreign ones — the latter might even overlap old stamps or place them on any other free page (even on a visa). In general, if your trip is imminent and you don't have time to change your passport, you can travel with it and simply come to a human understanding at the border.
What is the significance of a passport's validity period?
The validity period of a passport plays an important role when obtaining a visa. Some countries have rules that at the time of entry, you must have another 3 or 6 months remaining until your passport expires, and sometimes even a year.
In any case, since 2015, Russians have been allowed to have two foreign passports. And if one expires during a trip, a new one should already be on hand.
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