Damaged Passport: Can You Still Travel With It?

A damaged passport is not the same as a worn one. Folded pages and a small bend are normal wear and tear, while water stains, torn or missing pages and marks on the photo page are damage that can get you refused at check-in. Below are the US and UK definitions side by side, the replacement route in each country, and how long a US replacement takes against your trip date.

What counts as a damaged passport

For the State Department, normal wear and tear such as folded pages or a small bend does not count as damage, while stains, mold, significant tears, unofficial markings on the data page, missing or torn-out visa pages and a hole punch do.

HM Passport Office (HMPO) asks a different question. Its caseworker guidance calls a passport damaged when its condition stops it working as proof of identity, and treats a book with a readable data page, an intact binding and secure laminate as worn, not damaged.

Problem	US State Department	UK Passport Office	What to do
Folded pages or a small bend	Wear and tear	A bent data page on the blue e-passport is wear and tear	Keep using it
Minor tears at the edges of pages or the cover	Damage only if the tear is significant	Wear and tear	Keep using it
Page edges crinkled or curled by a little water	Not named	Wear and tear	Keep using it if no page is stained
Water or ink stains on the pages	Damage	Damage	Replace it
Mold	Damage	Not named	Replace it
Ripped, cut, missing or torn-out pages	Damage, for significant tears and missing or torn-out visa pages	Damage	Replace it
Writing or marks on the data page	Damage	Damage, and writing on the cover or blank visa pages counts too	Replace it
A hole punch or holes in the cover	Damage	Damage	Replace it
Laminate lifting off the data page	Not named	Damage	Replace it
Cover coming away from the book	Not named	Damage	Replace it
Chip or antenna showing through a page	Not named	Damage	Replace it

“Not named” means that country’s official page does not mention the problem either way.

Can you travel with a damaged passport?

Sometimes, but the decision is not yours. The check-in agent and the border officer decide on the day whether to accept it. HMPO says you may not be able to travel with a damaged one, and the US warning is just as plain.

Damage is a separate check from the time left before expiry. Thai immigration requires passports to be undamaged as well as valid for 6 months, so a stained book can be refused at the Thai border with years left before it expires.

How to replace a damaged US passport

The State Department tells you to apply in person on Form DS-11, the form used for first passports and by anyone not eligible to renew, rather than renewing by mail. Abroad, you file the same DS-11 at a US embassy or consulate, with a signed statement on the condition of the book, the card or both. US embassies accept a passport as proof of citizenship or identity only if it is fully valid and undamaged, so the damaged book cannot stand in for either.

Form DS-11 for a damaged passport: 6 steps

1. Fill in Form DS-11, but do not sign it.
2. Write and sign a statement explaining the damaged condition of the passport, such as what happened and which pages are affected.
3. Gather proof of US citizenship and a photo ID other than the passport.
4. Get 1 color photo, taken in the last 6 months, that meets the State Department’s photo rules.
5. Apply in person with the damaged passport, form, statement, documents and photo, and pay the 2 fees.
6. Track the application at passportstatus.state.gov.

Passport fees for a DS-11 application, as of October 2026:

Passport	Application fee	Acceptance fee	Total
Adult book	$130	$35	$165
Adult card	$30	$35	$65
Adult book and card	$160	$35	$195
Child book, under 16	$100	$35	$135

Expedited service adds $60, 1-3 day return delivery adds $26.87, and you may need to pay $150 for a file search if you cannot get evidence of citizenship.

The damaged book goes in with your application. Until the new passport arrives, a domestic flight needs another document on TSA’s list, such as a driver’s license that meets Real ID or a US passport card.

If the damage happened in a federally designated disaster on the State Department’s list, the application fee can be waived for 3 years after the disaster and the file search fee for 18 months, using Forms DS-5504 and DS-64 instead.

How long a US passport replacement takes

The State Department’s service options follow your travel date: routine for travel over 6 weeks after you apply, expedited for under 6 weeks. Mailing adds up to 2 weeks each way, so compare the total with your flight date.

When you fly	Route	What it takes	Total time
Over 6 weeks away	Routine DS-11	4-6 weeks of processing	Up to 10 weeks with mailing
Under 6 weeks away	Expedited DS-11, $60 extra	2-3 weeks of processing	Up to 7 weeks with mailing, less with 1-3 day return delivery
Within 14 days, or 28 if you need a foreign visa	Appointment at a passport agency or center	Proof of international travel	Appointment slots may not be available right away

This is an invented sample. Maya Chen, a US citizen in Ohio, finds her passport soaked by a leaking water bottle on 26 October 2026. Once dry, pages 10 to 12 are stained, though the data page is readable. She flies to Bangkok on 8 January 2027, and Thailand requires an undamaged passport, so she applies on 28 October.

Service	Worst case with mailing	New passport by	Margin before the flight
Routine, $165	2 + 6 + 2 = 10 weeks	6 January 2027	2 days
Expedited, $225	2 + 3 + 2 = 7 weeks	16 December 2026	23 days

She pays the extra $60 for the 3 weeks of margin. Her signed statement reads: “On 26 October 2026 a water bottle leaked inside my bag and soaked my passport, number A04718263. Pages 10 to 12 are stained. No pages are missing and nothing in the passport has been altered. Maya Chen, 28 October 2026.”

How to replace a damaged UK passport

A damaged UK passport has to be replaced. As of October 2026, replacing an adult passport online costs £102, paid by credit or debit card with a digital photo. A paper form from the Post Office costs £115.50 and needs 2 identical printed photos and a countersignatory.

Say how the damage happened when you apply, in the free-text box online or in section 8 of the paper form. HMPO usually needs only the damaged passport, plus extra identity evidence if you apply from abroad. A passport with only wear and tear goes through as a normal renewal when there is no sign of tampering. In most cases the old passport comes back to you cancelled.