It’s with joy and pain that I announce that my old passport is no more. While it was not set to expire for two more years, I had to get a new one because there were only a few blank pages left. Indeed, I was almost denied entry into Portugal because the border agent said that I needed two blank pages to enter the country. I showed him that there were four, but I quit arguing after he said I was welcome.
TPOL Trivia: Why do countries require two blank pages?
Instead of mailing my old passport and waiting weeks on end, I applied for an expedited passport. I had to show that I was traveling within the next weeks and pay an additional $60. I was surprised how easy it was to make an appointment, and was more surprised that I could pick up my passport two days later. I often complain about how difficult it is to get things done in Puerto Rico, but this time I have nothing but good things to say.
The quest to fill this one up my new passports begins anew. Today, I will be using my passport to go to Canada! I am eager to expand my Country Count which stands 158 ‘countries and territories’ by continuing to explore the world (see Where I’ve Been).
TPOL’s Trivia: Do they stamp your passport when you go to Canada?
I applied for a passport with regular processing. They emailed me acknowledging receipt on the next day after my tracking showed that it has reached them. Three days later, they emailed me again that my passport has been processed and had gone for printing and I got the new passport soon after. Go figure.
One less thing to worry about for ten years, absent theft.
Saw your link to countries that you have traveled. Consider a footnote that you list “UN countries, including expelled members”. Taiwan was expelled by the UN in 1971 because of intense pressure from China.
It’s on the TCC list