Passport too thick

I visited the US Consulate in Buenos Aires in May ’12 to get additional pages for my US passport, but I was told that no more pages could be added, as this would be the third time and pages can be added only twice.

My passport doesn’t expire until mid February 2015. My options were to get a shiny new passport for a mere $110 or an emergency passport, good for 12 months, for $100. Additional pages would have cost only $82.

I asked, “Why should I have to toss a passport 33 months before it expires? It contains visas that expire when the passport expires.”

“Because that’s the rule” was the answer always given.

‘Nonsense,’ I say.

I’m wondering if any ITN subscribers have had this experience, and can there be a happy ending?

JERRY MENDEL
Buenos Aires, Argentina