My USA passport pages are all full. On my entry into Germany I was reminded that entry to another country can be denied. My trip includes another country before returning home.
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14If you're only going to another Schengen country, you'll be fine. And a lot of countries don't care; they will just find a spot somewhere and stamp.– Michael HamptonCommented Sep 12, 2016 at 4:27
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4If you have enough time in Germany, you can get a new passport at a US Consulate there and continue your trip instead of returning to the US first, but you'd need to contact them to see when they can take you and how long it would take.– Zach LiptonCommented Sep 12, 2016 at 4:41
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12Most importantly, what other country are you planning to visit?– user32917Commented Sep 12, 2016 at 8:24
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1I have had this before also. It's for sure Karlson's answer below is right.– Gayot FowCommented Sep 12, 2016 at 11:27
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12This is a statement, not a question.– JanCommented Sep 12, 2016 at 15:16
2 Answers
As of January 1st, 2016 your only option is to get a new passport. If you travel frequently you can request a 52 page passport book but if you run out of those you will need another passport again.
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7Actually if they renew at a foreign post (consulate, embassy) they automatically get a 52 pager. Only renewals done in the USA can choose a 24 or 52 page version.– user13044Commented Sep 12, 2016 at 5:41
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1@Tom is that new? I renewed my passport at the US embassy in Germany and got to choose, and picked a 24 page one. A relative did the same thing last year and forgot to check either option in the form, and got the 52 page version.– jdmCommented Sep 12, 2016 at 12:34
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2@jdm - Not sure how new the policy is. I was told that by the consul in Thailand last year and it is also stated in the link Karlson provided. The consul mentioned they did it because folks who renew overseas, tend to be folks who travel a lot and need more pages (they comprised the bulk of folks who used to get extra pages added as well, like me). It wouldn't surprise, however, if there were embassies that had different policies.– user13044Commented Sep 12, 2016 at 13:23
Assuming that "another country" is not in Schengen (if it is, there is no passport check between that country and Germany, and you will only have two stamps), you have very few options besides those already listed in other answers:
You can get a new passport quickly from the US Embassy when you're abroad (most likely this would be a temporary passport). They are quite fast with this, but it still might take 1-3 working days depending on the country, although I have heard from a guy who claimed to get a (temporary) passport the same day in the evening.
You can enter through a Schenghen country which is more lax than Germany, and then travel to Germany via intra-Schenghen flight or train. In Italy, for example, in half of my entries they didn't even stamp my passport on entry, and I assume they'd care less about having no space in your passport, while in Germany or Switzerland you can actually be refused entry.
If you have visas in your passport which you did not use, you might try to carefully peel them off. This is the last resort option for a life-or-death situation, as you have a very good chance to damage your passport completely, and might not be able to even return to the US. Note that some visas will have a stump "a visa was here" under it, and that removing a full-page visa is typically very difficult (but I've seen it being done, so it is not impossible).
Theoretically you may also be denied boarding by the airline if the agent at check in is curious enough, and gets through your passport and finds out there is no empty space there
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9Re Point 3: you can never be denied entry to your country of citizenship. You might be inconvenienced (but difficulties proving you are a citizen), but at the end of the day citizens have right of abode. See travel.stackexchange.com/questions/43903 Commented Sep 12, 2016 at 11:29
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2This is only true once you get to the passport control of your home country. However the airline can easily refuse to fly you with a damaged passport - or a passport control at departing country can refuse you through with a damaged passport - so you won't be able to get there. Commented Sep 12, 2016 at 11:41
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5I would never consider doing #3. Even if you manage to peel off the visa, the page will be all sticky from the glue and look suspicious. Commented Sep 12, 2016 at 12:36
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1@GeorgeY. If stuck in Europe with such a passport, try taking a ferry from France to Ireland. While Ireland is not in Schengen, the passport checks on such a ferry are unlikely to be very rigorous. And there are US passport controls at Dublin and Shannon airports. Commented Sep 12, 2016 at 13:56
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4There's another option: travel to the other country and hope they'll squeeze the stamp in on a full page. I have many pages that are overcrowded with stamps despite the fact that my passport has several empty pages. Any border officer who would do that is extremely unlikely to refuse entry because of a lack of empty pages.– phoogCommented Sep 12, 2016 at 14:26