subject: More Passport Pages or a US Passport Renewal? [print this page] More Passport Pages or a US Passport Renewal?
Take a look at your passport: how many blank pages are left in the back? ?If you only have two or three remaining, it's a good idea to get more before your next trip. If you don't have room in the back of your passport for an entry stamp, there are many countries that simply will not let you in. And if you think one page is enough, be aware that some countries' visas have a little bit more "flair" than others, taking up entire pages or even multiple pages.
But should you just add pages to your existing passport, or should you go all out and apply for a US passport renewal? Prior to this summer, that question was a no-brainer. Adding passport pages could be done for free, while getting a passport renewal cost $75.
Then, in July, the Department of State raised fees for passport renewals to $110, but also added an $82 fee for adding passport pages. That means it only costs $28 to get a new passport good for another 10 years.
Whether you should add pages or get a passport renewal depends on how much you travel and how long you've had your passport. If you travel so often that you've run out of pages while your passport is still young, it makes sense to go ahead and add more pages. However, if your passport will expire anyway within the next year or so, you might as well go ahead and renew it. That way, you won't have to pay for extra pages that you might not get a chance to use. Applying for a US passport renewal instead also decreases the chances of getting caught unexpectedly with an expired passport, so you don't have to worry about trying to get it renewed at the last minute.
