Last year my husband got his first passport for our ski trip to Silver Star Ski Resort in British Columbia. We thought we had everything required to have passport issueds, but got a surprise when submitting the application at the passport agency. V got her passport application approved in no time, then it was my husband’s turn. The agent looked at his birth certificate, held it up to the light, then peered at it under a magnifying glass, eventually finding the remnants of an official seal. He lightly rubbed some carbon paper over the top, revealing the full seal. “Whew, done with that, let’s wrap this thing up,” I thought to myself. Apparently it was the wrong kind of seal, and therefore not a legally acceptable birth certificate. WHAT? It was the only birth certificate given to his parents and looked like it met the standards outlined on the government’s web site, but no go. Fortunately we had enough alternate forms of identification that he was issued a Limited Validity passport good for one year, with the note “Replacement may be issued under 22 CFR 51.41”.
What is a Limited Validity Passport?
Travel.state.gov defines a Limited Validity passport as, “…any passport issued with less than full 10-year validity for those 16 years and older and less than 5-years validity for those under age 16.” Basically it’s a temporary passport issued if yours was lost or stolen while traveling abroad, or you have a citizenship, identity, or name documentation deficiency at the point of application. It will get you out the door, but requires you to provide full documentation before you can get your full passport that’s valid for 10 years (5 years for children under 15).
How do you renew a Limited Validity Passport?
If you have been issued a Limited Validity passport, the process for obtaining a new full passport depends on how long ago it was issued, the reasons it was issued, and where your passport was issued. In my husband’s case his was issued less than one year ago in the United States, so according to travel.state.gov he will need to submit Form DS-5504 by mail or in person at a Passport Agency along with his limited passport, a color passport photo, and evidence of his U.S. citizenship. Of course we’ve left renewing it to the last minute, so tomorrow my husband has an appointment at the local Passport Agency to get his passport renewal expedited – then we’ll be good for more international travel!
Update: Everything was fine – except his passport photo! He used the same one as last year (he hasn’t changed!) but they made him go get his picture taken again. The photo must bhe taken within the last 6 months. Now you know.
For more information about Limited Validity passports, go to travel.state.gov
