A woman was nearly reduced to tears after discovering a significant error with her passport while trying to fly from Sydney to Paris. Jane Lu faced a potential travel disaster with her passport that she’d previously used for two trips to the States, as airline staff advised her of possible issues due to “water damage” on the document.
She took to social media in distress, posting a video captioned: “Help?! Has anyone ever had this happen?” to share her ordeal. Jane recounted that, despite using her water-damaged passport to enter the US twice without trouble, she suddenly found it might stop her from boarding her flight due to concerns from transit and destination countries about its condition.
“They’re saying that I’m flying by China, and they might not let me through, and Paris might not let me through, but I’ve already flown twice with this passport to the US,” she vented, visibly upset.
Jane then revealed in a follow-up clip that she was required to “sign a waiver”, acknowledging the risk that if French authorities rejected her entry, she’d have to bear the cost and inconvenience of returning to Australia. With over 24 hours of travel ahead, the tension was palpable, compounded by the fear of being turned back upon arrival.
However, fate smiled on Jane as she eventually breezed through French customs, where officials were “super chill” about her passport’s condition, allowing her to proceed with her business trip successfully.
In the comments section, a traveller wrote: “I think the people at the check-in in Australia are just way too thorough. This happened to my sister. They told her she had to board the flight at her own risk as her passport had a water stain. But when we landed in Singapore, they did not even notice”.
Yet another user mounted a defence for strict airport regulations, saying “border security is paramount”. A lady chimed in advising the traveller to “apply for a new passport”, and to keep it in immaculate condition rather than risk water damage.
The topic heated up with one comment expressing bewildered frustration: “What I wanna know, how do SO many people get water damage on their passports? Are ya’all taking them for a swim?”
A travel expert weighed in on the conversation, providing professional insight: “Travel agent here – a passport is a legal document, so, therefore, it must not have any damage. If an airline sends you to a place and you are denied entry, they receive a massive fine.
“Also, you can be detained on arrival for having a damaged passport. Much better to be denied here than to be put in jail or be turned around at the other end. If it’s damaged, it needs to be replaced.
“Some countries take this pretty seriously. I had a customer detained when their family went overseas and their kid spilt water on their passport and risked it. It’s not about intention, it’s about being safe”.
My British Passport, a leading authority on passport matters, states that severe passport damage could ground passengers. They note that whether a passport is still useable depends largely upon the severity of the damage incurred.
Minor wear and tear might be acceptable but, if the passport cannot be read or the chip is damaged, boarding may be denied. According to the Post Office, the HM Passport Office classifies a passport as damaged if the following conditions are met: the details are indecipherable, the laminate has lifted enough to allow the possibility of photo substitution and the bio-data page is discoloured.
