Replace a Damaged Passport

Damage means a condition that interferes with reading or verifying the passport. Water damage is the most common, and it counts even when the pages have dried flat. A significant tear, a hole punched through the passport, unofficial markings on the data page, and visa pages that are missing or torn all qualify as well. Normal wear does not: a bent cover, fanned pages, or a worn spine are the ordinary results of use, and a passport in that condition is renewed when it expires rather than replaced. When you are unsure, the description you give in the application settles the question.

Because a damaged passport may not be accepted as evidence of anything, the replacement is a new passport application and citizenship and identity are established again. Citizenship is shown with an original or certified copy of your birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or certificate of naturalization or citizenship. Identity is shown with a current physical photo identification such as a driver's license, state identification card, or military identification. One recent color photo is included, taken within the last six months, two inches by two inches, against a white or off-white background. The damaged passport itself is submitted with the application, and its number and issue date, printed on the data page, are entered on the application so that the replacement is linked to it.

You describe the passport and its condition: what happened to it, which parts are affected, and whether the data page can still be read. Your answers confirm that the damage goes beyond normal wear and that a replacement, rather than a renewal, applies. If the description suggests ordinary wear instead, our questions route you to the renewal, which asks for less and returns the passport to you. You then provide your personal details, the details of the damaged passport, and your choice of book, card, or both. Our team prechecks the answers for completeness and consistency, and once your application has been processed, your completed documents, a checklist of the evidence to include, and instructions for the remaining steps are available in your account.

The damaged passport is kept once it is submitted and is not returned, which is the main practical difference from a renewal. Before you begin, photograph or scan the data page and any visa or entry stamp you may need to refer to later, since those pages will no longer be available to you. The replacement is issued with full validity in most cases, ten years for an adult and five for a child under 16; only repeated serious damage may lead to a shorter period. Until the replacement arrives, a damaged passport can be refused by airlines and border officers, so travel on it is a risk. Your original citizenship document is returned separately from the new passport, which carries a new number.