Aside from the part where none of that happened?
:rolleyes:
shit, I should really take classes from you on how you can come into a thread, say one thing, be proven wrong, and come back saying that you meant that other thing all along. That was impressive!
I admitted I was wrong, Mr Rolleyes, with the words “I’m glad I was wrong about them not letting her on the plane.” I know it’s subtle, but hope you can read between the lines.
The rest of my post stands in its hyperbole. Or do you think I literally meant you become a non-person? What does “non-person” even mean?
I’ve been travelling all over the world for twenty years and have seen all sorts of major inconveniences caused by loss of crucial paperwork, the most crucial of which, when one is travelling, is the passport. In the majority of cases, if you lose your passport you’re fucked* - you have a lot of work to do to get back to where you were before, which can involve missing flights, buying new tickets, and hanging around dealing with bureaucrats for days or weeks.
You’re welcome to be cavalier with your passport; personally I’ll be keeping mine hidden on my person or locked in the hotel safe.
*I don’t mean you literally have sex with someone.
Gentlemen, gentlemen, please–can we simply reconcile to the simple truth that it is far more nerve-wracking to travel with a photocopy of one’s passport than the thing itself? I have spent the past 16 hours enjoying my daughter’s company, marred only by the resultant squabbling that your attempts at advice and assistance have caused. If I’m to celebrate this as a minor miracle, the squabbling will not help. Good will on earth, and all that rubbish…
This should be remembered for even boards devoted to immigration, even when some posters claim to be immigration lawyers. Granted they mostly deal with problem cases in their work but they make everything seem so dire and impossible, at least for citizens yes explaining your predicament and being polite will work wonders.
Pray do tell the dear lasses entire story. What happened, was there questioning, handcuffing, detention, escape in a cargo hold and bribery of an official?;)
Nothing of the kind. Apparently, the two keys were her photocopy of her passport (retrieved from the trashcan, mind you) and her conversation with a gentlemen from the US Consulate, who listened to her tale of woe and phoned ahead, explaining to TPTB at the airport that she was ok and should be allowed to board. When she got off the plane, she was subjected to a brief inquiry as to her identity and then released. She actually got off the plane ahead of most of those who’d brought their passports and were stuck on line.
And I even got a can of haggis out of the deal.
Geez man. When a story has such a tragic and gruesome ending like that you really should warn people and put it a spoiler box 
Glad things worked out. But it certainly could have ended up being more of a PITA than it was.
Glad to hear she was able to board the plane and get through Customs.
My friend, who is Canadian, flew to Mexico on business in November. Unbeknownst to her, her passport expired after 5 years (formerly it had been good for 10 years). The airline (United) didn’t catch it and let her board. Mexican Customs caught the error. They pulled her aside without explanation, confiscated all her personal belongings, including her cell phone and laptop, and put her in a holding cell (an actual jail cell) while they investigated. After 10 hours of water boarding (well, okay, I may have exaggerated that part), they had her escorted to a new plane bound for the United States, where she now lives.
Other than the water boarding, the worst part was not being able to communicate. The person who was hired to pick her up at the airport eventually called her husband back in the U.S., and they imagined all sorts of horrible scenarios in the 10 hour gap.
So, you are saying that if an American had been in Egypt early this year, and had his/her passport lost or stolen, that the US Embassy would refuse to assist that person?
Your use of euphemisms makes you claims extremely vague and hard to assess. But the idea that the consular section would leave someone to fend for themselves in an emergency if they had lost their passport in the midst of a country being in upheaval is an extraordinary and totally unbelievable claim.
This is why I try not to lose my U.S. passport. I couldn’t even say who was in the World Series this year. :smack:
BTW, in 1999 I got a renewal passport in 24 hours at an overseas consulate! 
I might have mentioned I was in a hurry, but don’t recall paying any extra fee or such. (I guess this story’s a thing of the past.)
Sounds like the bureacracy used a bit more Christmas spirit than usual. Good to hear it all worked out.
Mediocre Moments in One-Liners
Mrs. Devil immigrated from the USSR. Skipping over mundane details, a while back she lost some ID and needed replacements. Part of the process required information about her original country. Given that the Soviet Union no longer existed, she wasn’t sure what to put on the forms. I got to say:
“To lose one’s green card, Mrs. Devil, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose one’s country looks like carelessness”
Another tip for all of you. Always make a photocopy of your passport and carry it separately. Also, email yourself a photo of your passport so you can print one out on the go if need be.
Yes, clearly none of that happened.
They don’t do that any more. Or at least, the last time I got a new passport 2 years ago, they explained that ALL passport applications/renewals had to go back to the US, were done in the US, and then sent by diplomatic pouch to the overseas country.
It was a real pain to figure out when I could be without my passport for the 2 or 3 weeks it took. When you live abroad and travel a lot you need the passport for foreign countries, and also may need to give your passport to a foreign consulate for days to get a visa.
BTW, for the OP’s daughter, that trick probably only works to get back to the US. Chance of being able to go to a different country is very slim. For those playing at home, the OP’s daughter also got the US embassy on her side to grease the wheels or I’d be even more gobsmacked if she would have been allowed on the plane.
After reading that passage a second time, you still don’t understand it? Wow.
But I’m not going to bicker and take away from the OP’s well founded relief and holiday joy. And FWIW, I was also quite surprised that she made it on the plane. I just would have hesitated to offer any definitive opinion to that effect. So, congratulations,and happy holidays!
Yes, it used to take a day or two to be done here in Bangkok. But when I last renewed mine here in 2003, they told me the same thing, that all passport renewals were now handled through the National Passport Center, in New Hampshire I think. Took about three weeks. Many routine forms involved in international travel and living – visas, banking etc – ask where your passport was issued. The embassy told me to put down NPC, and no one’s ever questioned it. Coming up time to renew mine again soon.
State Department
Present photocopy
[del]Arrange for a new or temporary passport[/del]
[del]Not allowed on a plane without a passport[/del]
50% is a failing grade.
This is sage advice. And I’m nearly certain it was the difference, in this case, between what posters predicted and what occurred.
And while you’re about it, do your airline tickets too! Your best, and possibly only hope, in the event anything untoward happens to your ticket.