# Do they stamp passports anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2000, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949 "2000-10-23T05:50:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/41 "2012-04-29T00:44:46Z")
> [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](#): > > My U.S. passport was stamped when I entered the U.S., but not when I left. What? :dubious: I’ve never had my USA passport stamped by the USA, it makes no sense the stamps are for visas( yes even if your nationality allows you to just rock up to a country and enter for tourism the stamp is your visa) so why is your own country issuing you visas? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/42 "2012-04-29T00:59:19Z")
Passport stamps aren’t necessarily visas. They can just be a record that you entered or left a country. I’ve entered the US twice by plane; once my passport was stamped, once it wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/43 "2012-04-29T03:24:53Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d be kind of annoyed if I went to the trouble and expense of acquiring a passport and then the border guard didn’t bother to look at it. If it’s not important then don’t require me to have one. And if it is important enough to be mandatory, then do your job and pay some attention. As stated [here](http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_2788.html), note that all U.S. passports now contain an electronic chip which can be read by passport readers at a distance. The last two times I re-entered the country, I had all of our passports open and ready to present to the U.S. border control officer, but we were simply waved through. They never even looked at our passports. However, I got the impression that all of our information was on the officer’s computer screen. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/44 "2012-04-29T03:33:36Z")
The “distance” is only a few inches. They can’t read the passports while people are waiting in line. > **[Federal Register :: Request Access](https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/u-s-citizenship-and-immigration-services)** > [@](#): > > The technology selected for the electronic passport is the 64 kilobyte contactless integrated circuit chip with an antenna. The electronic chip itself has a very short read distance, approximately four inches. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/45 "2012-04-29T03:54:23Z")
Taiwan, Hong Kong and China definately stamp your passport each and every entry (and exit) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/46 "2012-04-29T04:08:52Z")
It must depend on the situation. Some people acquire so many stamps that extra pages need to be pasted into the passport. I suspect that, oftentimes, it’s expatriates from Country A who move to Country B, and then do a ton of traveling in and out of Country B. It seems fairly common for resident aliens of a country to have to go through some extra steps or a different process when returning to their adopted homes. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/47 "2012-04-29T06:01:00Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > It must depend on the situation. Some people acquire so many stamps that extra pages need to be pasted into the passport. I suspect that, oftentimes, it’s expatriates from Country A who move to Country B, and then do a ton of traveling in and out of Country B. It seems fairly common for resident aliens of a country to have to go through some extra steps or a different process when returning to their adopted homes. I see a lot of locally famous musicians getting extra pages and even new passports as well, which is funny because Trinidad passports expire after only five years so obviously they do a LOT of international touring. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/48 "2012-04-29T06:22:07Z")
> [@grude](#): > > What? :dubious: I’ve never had my USA passport stamped by the USA, it makes no sense the stamps are for visas( yes even if your nationality allows you to just rock up to a country and enter for tourism the stamp is your visa) so why is your own country issuing you visas? It’s not a visa - just an entry stamp at JFK. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/49 "2012-04-29T06:49:12Z")
> [@grude](#): > > What? :dubious: I’ve never had my USA passport stamped by the USA, Interesting. I’ve had my passport stamped upon return to the US almost every time. My last (2010) passport has one stamp from Homeland Security (and I’ve left the country twice since then). The passport before that (2000) has six stamps from the US, and that’s exactly every time I’ve left and re-entered the US. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/50 "2012-04-29T08:00:21Z")
Last year when I applied for Leave to Remain in the UK I had to provide a 5 year history of travel in and out of the UK. Since I mostly go back to Canada it was tricky because My passport was never stamped when I entered Canada, only when I re-entered the UK. I only knew when I came back not when I left but was able to piece everything together from my Live Journal ramblings! ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/51 "2012-04-29T09:50:20Z")
If you’re in transit on Ascension Island, you can get a stamp in your passport. You have to pay for it, though :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/52 "2012-04-29T10:23:26Z")
I’ve never heard of anyone exiting Thailand through a passport control without an entry stamp. If you find yourself in Thailand without an entry stamp I suggest you either sneak across a border, or prepare a gift for the immigration agent. In either case, get a new passport before reentering Thailand. The rules have changed so this is no longer doable, but many foreigners, in order to reside permanently and legally in Thailand, used to spend a few minutes in a neighboring country once every 29 days, getting 4 stamps (exit, entry, exit, entry) each time. The 4 stamps used up 1 or 2 passport pages, often leading to premature passport renewals. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/53 "2012-04-29T15:50:44Z")
> [@kbear](#): > > Last year when I applied for Leave to Remain in the UK So are you leaving or remaining? make up your mind! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/54 "2012-04-29T22:22:57Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > EU citizens can ask for their passport to be stamped when they land in a new EU country. A friend of mine does that. You can ask, but you probably won’t have any luck, at least not within the Schengen area. I’ve asked before (with a UK passport) and the border guard said they weren’t allowed to stamp EU passports within the Schengen zone. Virtually nowhere in Europe stamps UK passports these days. Looking over my old passport, the only recent-ish European stamps are from Croatia (which is joining the EU next year, so that will stop), Bosnia and Montenegro. I also have stamps from Latvia and Estonia from before they joined the EU, but I doubt if they stamp any more. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/55 "2012-04-29T23:33:12Z")
I recently traveled to the UK, and got my passport stamped when entering the UK, but not when re-entering the US. For what that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/56 "2012-04-30T01:12:28Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > You can ask, but you probably won’t have any luck, at least not within the Schengen area. I must ask my friends again about it. I would have thought since UK/Ireland aren’t in Schengen we could demand a stamp. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/57 "2012-04-30T01:31:22Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I would prefer if countries would _not_ stamp my passport. The only _benefit_ I have accrued is being hassled in some other country because they did not like where I had been before. Doesn’t Israel have some sort of workaround for passport stamping for visitors who would travel to most other Mideast countries, but be refused if the passport has the mark of Cain? Entry-but-not-leave stamps used to make me nervous that a voice would dart towards me from somebody’s border-security desk. Now it just strikes me as aesthetically unappealing. Also, does anyone know if Una finally got to sip cafe-au-lait in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower? ---
**Author:** ![Bluewren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bluewren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluewren)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/58 "2012-04-30T01:57:46Z")
Each country I have visited has stamped my passport, the odd thing is that they don’t do it on the first page, it can be anywhere from the front to the back, and some are very faint. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/59 "2012-04-30T02:00:51Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I’ve never heard of anyone exiting Thailand through a passport control without an entry stamp. If you find yourself in Thailand without an entry stamp I suggest you either sneak across a border, or prepare a gift for the immigration agent. In either case, get a new passport before reentering Thailand. > > The rules have changed so this is no longer doable, but many foreigners, in order to reside permanently and legally in Thailand, used to spend a few minutes in a neighboring country once every 29 days, getting 4 stamps (exit, entry, exit, entry) each time. The 4 stamps used up 1 or 2 passport pages, often leading to premature passport renewals. Yeah, this was the case when I lived in Hungary and also in Croatia early on. Expats who had not gone through the official channels to establish residency had to technically leave the country every either few months (Hungary was 6 months when I lived there), as visitors/tourists are only allowed a set amount of time for their visit. (In other words, the entry stamp acts as a sort-of free six-month tourist visa.) Now, this wasn’t always strictly enforced. I had a friend who overstayed several years, and he was turned back at one border (told to go to the embassy), but we just took him to another border where they didn’t check the entry stamp, and stamped him out and in, effectively resetting the clock. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949/60 "2012-04-30T06:41:21Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Doesn’t Israel have some sort of workaround for passport stamping for visitors who would travel to most other Mideast countries, but be refused if the passport has the mark of Cain? I thought their “workaround” was that they would stamp a separate piece of paper rather than a page in your passport. Of course, this is completely useless if you entered Israel via a land border, since you’ll have the exit stamp from Jordan or Egypt in your passport. Any other Arab country that sees this stamp will know that you could have exited only to the Forbidden Place. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-stamp-passports-anymore/37949.md?page=4)