Is this a damaged passport? Please help!

[Tomo1987]

My sister travels to Barcelona next weekend for her hen do and

 

this evening her three year old daughter has used her mum's eyeliner to scribble on her passport.

 

She has done it on the page to the left of her page with her photo and details on,

NOT the biodata page as gov.uk advertises

but rather if you were to flip the passport as they will at customs control the one directly above it.

 

Obviously she's very worried and gov.uk's categorization of a damaged passport is not very clear.

It says that one of the definitions of a damaged passport is "any chemical or ink spillage on any page."

Would this cover eyeliner markings on a non-relevant page?

 

If the worst news is that yes, it's now classified as a damaged passport what does she do?

 

Can she realistically get a new one by next Saturday?

 

We already have the details for the Passport Customer Service Centre but can this be done within 5 days

as I know they offer a premium service in which you can obtain a passport within 4 hours directly from the office

but it also seems to suggest you have a waiting period to book that appointment?

 

Any ideas?

Any help?

Previous experiences welcome.

It's all much appreciated!

 

Thanks

[dx100uk]

why not scan the damage and see if you can email it to the passport office and ask?

 

dx

[Tomo1987]

We contacted the passport office first thing this morning and they have pretty much told us that it is unlikely it will be a problem, but have remained non-committal to a degree because obviously they can't speak for customs control either in the UK or Spain definitely. We did offer to email the photo but they said they couldn't offer us an answer based on that, clearly they want to retain impartiality which is understandable because if she was to be turned away they don't want to then be accused of providing misinformation and possibly being liable for the insurance.

 

It would seem to me that the worst case scenario is more likely that she is stopped and taken into customs where they will most likely boot it up to a supervisor to inspect the damage and see if it's cause enough of a concern to actually stop her travelling and/or entering/leaving a country. It's unlikely they actually stop her travelling because it isn't defacement that could suggest the passport has been tampered with, it's more likely they instruct her to get it replaced, she maybe gets a bit of a hard time about it but doesn't actually have to get back on in a car or plane going in the opposite direction. She's going for two days and has a big hen party with her. She's about as close to a national security threat as my dog is but obviously rules and regulations are as such and we just want to try and get every base covered for every eventuality.

 

The only appointment the passport office could offer her was on Friday and she leaves on Saturday. Replacement passports aren't issued same-day unless it's lost or stolen so the trip would be pointless, not to mention she'd be getting the passport changed in June after she's married and takes his name anyway.

[renegadeimp]

You shouldnt have a problem. Never known spain border control to be really strict.

[MaxxPower]

If it's just eyeliner can it not be rubbed off with something non-chemical like a pencil rubber?

[Batfink]

Try wiping it with a baby wipe or eye make up remover.