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I've been continuously renewing a short term tourist visa while going through the process of permanent residence for the last few years, which has resulted in the consumption of all available space in my passport for additional stamps and visas.

My passport doesn't expire for another five years, what can I do? Should I just renew it now, even though it's not due to expire?

Once I get my status changed, this isn't an issue, but delays in paperwork and such could continue for months.

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EDIT: As of January 1st, 2016, the US no longer adds additional pages to its passports. However, when you apply for a passport you may choose to receive a 52-page passport rather than the standard 28-page passport. Applicants outside the US automatically receive the 52-page passport. For more information, see the State Department's press release.


If your US passport isn't set to expire within the year, you can go to any US embassy that offers citizenship services and ask them to insert additional pages. You generally don't need to make an appointment for it, and they can typically do it on the same day, but it's good to call ahead to just make certain. There is also a small fee, so you should be certain to bring that with you in cash. Depending on the country, payment by credit card, local currency, or US dollars may be possible. If you are unsure, contact citizenship services ahead of time.

The actual insert is bound by two sort of security grade adhesive strips that cling to two pages in your passport, the first looks like this:

enter image description here

The second is a clear strip, similar to packing tape. You get a total of 12 extra pages. It's like taking the cover and spine off a small book, and putting it into a bigger one. For an additional fee, a maximum of two additional sets of pages (total 24 pages) can be added in a single visit.

So, if it looks like you're going to run out of pages, get this done while you still have a little room or the insert itself is going to need to go over top of stamps you'd probably want as keepsakes later. Many countries will refuse to issue entry permission if there aren't sufficient pages left in your passport (some countries requiring up to 6 blank pages), so be sure to check the regulations of any countries you will visit to ensure that you have enough pages to enter the destination country, and re-enter your country of residence.

If your passport is set to expire within (or close to within) the year, just renew it instead, the consulate at the embassy will probably ask you to do so anyway when you visit.

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  • I would add that the hours when many embassies are open to the public can be short, and lines can be long. Often only a fixed number of applicants are allowed inside the compound at a time, and I have seen applicants turned away after standing in line for two hours because the public access hours were ending. Consequently, I'd upgrade calling ahead from good advice to an essential step in the process, and couple it with arriving early to ensure you can be served on your first attempt. Apr 3, 2014 at 19:36
  • At least in Singapore, you must make an appointment to get extra pages, it takes one day to process (i.e. you'll have to come back), and it costs US $82. It's almost as costly and time consuming as getting a whole new passport (in which you can request extra pages for free!). Dec 24, 2014 at 8:06
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    The extra pages service has been discontinued, but applicants outside the US now automatically get the 52-page passport.
    – phoog
    Jan 15, 2016 at 18:29
  • @phoog or anyone, can you get a 104 page passport now as well? No point in only having 52 pages. countries will take up an entire page for a 'visa' that is only good for 15 or 30 day visit....an ISO standard needs to be made for the size of a visa and size of entry stamp. Passport page real estate is at a premium these days.
    – Jon Grah
    Feb 1, 2017 at 13:55
  • @JonGrah no, unfortunately the US only has two sizes of passport.
    – phoog
    Feb 1, 2017 at 17:25

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