U.S. Passport Book Changes

On 11/20/2015, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued a final rule on the elimination of the visa page insert service within U.S. Passports. Earlier in the year, DOS published a notice of proposed rulemaking that eliminated the visa page insert service for regular fee passport book holders. This rule will become effective on Jan. 1, 2016, and will coincide with the DOS expected issuance of an updated version of the passport book. The primary reason given for eliminating visa page inserts is to enhance the security of the U.S. Passport, and to abide by international passport standards.

Previously, U.S. Passport holders had the option of paying for the visa page inserts to accommodate their travel needs for entry/exit visa stamps. The DOS explains that, historically, there has been very limited demand for the visa page insert service. Frequent travelers applying from within the U.S. can request a 28-page or 52-page U.S. Passport book. U.S. citizens applying from outside the U.S. will routinely receive 52-page U.S. Passport books.