Travelers may find themselves in circumstances which necessitate
making a change to an existing passport. In fact, a passport may be
rendered invalid, or a traveler may be regarded with suspicion if
passport information is incorrect, out-of-date, or missing. To avoid
delays at the airport or the border, see if you fall into one of the
following categories. If you do, you may need to apply for changes or
amendments to your passport:
*Your name has changed. If you've
legally changed your name, you must change your name on your passport.
To get a US passport name change, you must complete the proper form
(available wherever passports are issued). You must provide your current
passport, as well as legal documentation describing your name change.
This may include a marriage certificate or a court order which bears an
official seal and signature from a judge or other official. You must
also submit new passport photos.
The same guidelines apply to the new
photos as to the original ones. It's also possible to expedite a US
passport name change if a travel emergency arises. You must present the
same type of documentation as listed above, plus a proof of departure,
such as a copy of a next-day airline ticket. You'll also have to pay an
expediting fee.
*Your pages are full. If you've run out of pages
to stamp, you need to apply to add pages to your US passport. You can
only apply for addition of pages if you have less than four empty pages
left. If you travel abroad frequently, make sure that you don't wait
until your pages are nearly full before applying to add pages. However,
if you find yourself in an unexpected situation, you can expedite the
process. Remember, this will cost you more, so it's best to apply as
soon as you have less than four empty pages.
*You've had a baby.
In this case, you can't change your own passport to add a child to it.
Every traveler needs his or her own passport, even babies. You can
obtain a passport application for an infant anywhere passports are
processed.
*You need to extend a limited passport
Limited passports are, in essence, "emergency" passports. They are
granted under special circumstances, usually when the applicant is
missing documentation that is normally required when trying to obtain a
US passport. They are only valid for one year. If within that year the
applicant is able to secure proper documentation, he or she can apply to
extend the limited passport. All documentation, including what was
originally missing, must be submitted along with new passport photos.
