A US citizen living in Argentina asked how many times additional pages can be added to an existing passport (July ’12, pg. 15). These “visa page inserts” each number 24 pages.
The US Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual, Volume 7 (1310 Appendix V), states, “The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) recommends adding no more than two sets of visa page inserts to a passport for the reason that the added thickness may result in damage to the binding of the book during its validity.”
This recommendation “applies to both legacy and e-passport books.”
A third visa page insert, however, may be added into passports “that have been well cared for and show little wear and tear.”
Unless one is facing “an emergency circumstance,” a “fourth visa page insert must not be added… .”
Perhaps the US Consulate in Buenos Aires judged the traveler’s passport as showing too much “wear and tear.” It seems as if this could be a subjective decision.
CAROL M. LEVY
Saint Paul, MN
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