Passports that contain a US Visa
 

Recently someone posted a good thread on how to make sure you don't get the corners cut off a passport that contains a valid USA visa when you renew it.

I can't find the thread :-( Can someone point me at it please ?

I rang the Passport Office and they said "Just put a cover note in with it".

Not 100% sure I trust them. Any one else any experience of this ?

My wife carried a cut off passport and new passport with my VISA in it for over 2 years and never had a problem. The names where different also as we had got married when this happened.

Where are you to have a problem with this? In theory if your passport is cancelled and you have a new one, it has to happen as you could in effect have 2 passports. Now that might be cool for certain things but very bad in some nervous border controls.!!

Right now I am at home :-)

But the USA Visa site says they VISA page will be invalid if it is clipped. This is what I am trying to avoid when I renew my passport as I have nearly 9 years left on my VISA, and I will be going back to the USA.

Why did your wife carry your visa ??

When you renew just say that the last one was damaged, that way you guarantee that they haven't snipped it off. Also it is always handy to have 'spare' passports, driving licenses etc hanging around. I have a box full of them, all sorts of names and nationalities!

But that would be lying :-(

But if you tell them it is damaged, they want the damaged passport to be sent in (just checked the site). If you say it is stolen they want extra info and details (probably a police report). As to "lost", and not being used to lying about something like that I'd be wary.

I think I will go for the "cover note" option, and lots of "look out there is a VISA here" type messages option.

Ok, FYI, I have had my passport renewed and by adding a couple of polite notes asking for the VISA to be left intact it has been returned without the VISA page being "snipped".

So, a result there then :-)