An Ontario woman says she was detained for 24 hours and refused entry to Costa Rica because her passport was damaged.
“It’s basically like a little tear on the bottom corner, and I tried to take it to Service Canada and they said it wasn’t damaged enough to be replaced”
Sounds like the Canadian government not replacing the damage passport when she requested it led to this.
I saw that too and found it very surprising. Even Canadian border guards might give you a hard time for that damage.
https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/publications/bon-voyage-but#1
“If you damage your passport, apply for a new one. A damaged passport can lead to long delays at passport checkpoints. You may also be unable to cross the border or board a plane.”
Edit: thinking about this some more… They buried the lede on this. This is the real headline here. Service Canada needs to replace damaged passports, full stop. If they won’t, turn around and say, “oops, I lost my passport! I need a new one, thanks!”
Loosing your passport is a pain. Getting it replaced requires that you go plead an oath and have that oath notarized by a notary public or lawyer. Time and money but mostly time.
I found that damned thing a year later.
Yeah, but I think I would prefer that to giving a border guard an excuse…
Edit: or I guess it could accidentally go through the washer.
For sure.
I meant it more in that it’s not just “I lost it I need a new one” but your point is well taken.
Yours too!
Bring scissors. Oops, the tear got bigger!
Yeah, would be an interesting lawsuit if she had proof of that statement.
Slightest bit of authority and people act like this.
“jobsworth,” British slang for someone like that.
Yeah one time my passport got slightly wet – just enough to make it a bit crinkly – and my gov’t forced me to process it as “damaged” and pay a fine
Similar to me. My passport got wet when I was in the rain. The lady at the Canadian passport office literally yelled at me for damaging it. I was surprised, but they seem to take it very seriously.
Yeah, this can happen pretty much everywhere, unfortunately. If your passport is damaged, get it replaced before you travel. If it gets damaged while you’re travelling? Good luck… There’s a good chance you’ll run into a border guard who will give you a hard time.
I had a passport go through the wash in my jeans, twice. Kept using it.
