New UK Passport – anyone else had this problem?
Hello everyone!
I am looking for some advice regarding the new United Kingdom passport. I recently got the new passport in 2021, and I have been experiencing some issues while traveling with it. The quality of the new passport is not as good as my original UK/EU one, and I have noticed some differences.
During one of my work trips, I faced an incident at Schiphol when a border officer stopped me because he said the paper in my passport seemed grainy. It was quite an unsettling experience as I was taken to a back room and questioned about the unusual texture of the pages. Despite having a valid passport, I was treated with suspicion due to the passport’s condition. After an hour, they let me go with an apology.
Although shaken up by this encounter, I inspected the passport myself and noted the sandy feel of the pages. This happened again during my recent holiday trip where another border officer pointed out the same issue.
Have any of you faced a similar problem with your new UK passport? I am a white female with tattoos and piercings, so discrimination does not seem to be a factor here.
Issues with the New UK Passport
Hello everyone,
I am hoping to get some insights here regarding a common problem travelers are facing with the recently issued British passport. If I am posting this in the wrong forum, please accept my apologies in advance. Any suggestions on a more appropriate platform would be appreciated. Is anyone else experiencing difficulties while traveling with the latest UK passport?
I upgraded to the ‘new’ passport in 2021 and couldn’t help but notice a decline in quality compared to my older UK/EU passport. Everything seemed fine until recently when I encountered a problem while traveling.
Due to my frequent work-related travels, I had an unsettling incident at Schiphol Airport earlier this year where I was stopped by a border officer. He mentioned that the paper quality felt “grainy” in my passport. I was escorted to a private room and left alone for an hour while multiple officials examined my passport and questioned me about the unusual texture of the pages. Despite having a legitimate passport that had served me well in the past, I found myself under scrutiny and suspicion. After a thorough inspection, they eventually allowed me to proceed with an apology.
Although the experience left me flustered, a self-inspection of the passport revealed a similar issue with the pages feeling rough and deteriorated, almost as if they were disintegrating.
While I hoped this was an isolated incident, I encountered a similar conversation with another border official at a different airport during my recent holiday. Fortunately, I was not subjected to further interrogation, but it did leave me feeling uneasy.
Has anyone else faced a similar scenario? For more context, I am a Caucasian female with tattoos and piercings, making it unlikely that discrimination is at play.