Availability of passport stamps

[anat0l]

To put another spin on this, the fact that I won't get a stamp (automatically) from Australia or NZ... gives me a further incentive and challenge to fill up my new passport!

 

[JessicaTam]

To put another spin on this, the fact that I won't get a stamp (automatically) from Australia or NZ... gives me a further incentive and challenge to fill up my new passport!

I am glad it is not just me!

 

[Archphoto]

I kind of wonder why pay for it, if it doesn't have any stamps; and there's also the reminiscing factor, and helping me remember where I was on such-and-such a date.

 

[elbarto]

I go out of the way to avoid -
already half filled passport after 3yrs (too many Asian trips) and that includes avoiding HK stamps via echannel
For some reason I got an Aussie exit one on my last departure (wasn't happy)

Don't bother going to Indonesia. They issue labels that take up a whole page.

I paid a few CHF for a stamp at the tourist office in Leichtenstiein... So I guess I do!

Me too!

 

[acoolbreeze]

From December, no stamping will take place when departing Australia for foreign passport holders as well, even if requested.

 

[Awesom Andy]

Don't bother going to Indonesia. They issue labels that take up a whole page.

The visa on arrival requirement is just a good excuse for them to collect $$ for each pax, although other countries also benefit by eating into the entire page of the passport. I'm lucky enough though to have a passport which doesn't require VOA, so I simply get a stamp, roughly the same size of other Asian countries.

I also find it interesting that both of my passports were stamped from page 4 onwards... until the Americans decided that page 1 is just as good as any other. Not sure if you get an exit stamp from the LOTFAP these days? As of this moment, I have an entry stamp, but no exit stamp, so there's no record that I actually left the country.

 

[moa999]

Indo is OK with APEC - just the stamps - big rectangle on entry - once imprinted with ABTC, othertime hand written, and triangle on exit -- all usual 1/4 page stuff.

 

[harvyk]

The visa on arrival requirement is just a good excuse for them to collect $$ for each pax, although other countries also benefit by eating into the entire page of the passport. I'm lucky enough though to have a passport which doesn't require VOA, so I simply get a stamp, roughly the same size of other Asian countries.

I also find it interesting that both of my passports were stamped from page 4 onwards... until the Americans decided that page 1 is just as good as any other. Not sure if you get an exit stamp from the LOTFAP these days? As of this moment, I have an entry stamp, but no exit stamp, so there's no record that I actually left the country.

No exit stamp from the US... Infact a good number of international flights leave from "domestic" terminals, passports are checked on boarding, thats it.

 

[greenfrog86]

I used to get random stamps in/out of Australia but haven't for at least the last five years.

When overseas it is usually Asia that fills my passport, and also the US.

Another good one is China and the full page visa 'sticker'...

My passport expires in 2014 and I'm only about a third of the way through because like many others I find that customs often squeeze stamps in rather than choosing a new page.

It seems that staining a blank page is only reserved for the bravest of Customs officers

 

[harvyk]

It seems that staining a blank page is only reserved for the bravest of Customs officers

Really? I've found it hit and miss, some officers will use an existing page, others will chose the next blank page, and in one case I've had an officer chose a completely random page which was a little annoying...
Also the Chinese full page visa sticker is a little different, I do have to agree there...

 

[Flying Fox]

Leaving Queenstown the other week and specifically asked for a stamp ( more so for the kids first trip o/s ) and were point blank told that they do not issue stamps to Aussies?

Is this some form of racism???

 

[Fantic125]

Also the Chinese full page visa sticker is a little different, I do have to agree there...

India also has a full page sticker,
Brazil's sticker fills 3/4 of a page but has a 'conditions' stamp and stickers to show payment which fills the rest of the page,
Japan and Indonesia each fill approx 1/4 page,
Ireland's arrivals stamp fills about 1/3 page,

The rest of the stamps in my passport are similar in size.....

 

[JessicaTam]

...
It seems that staining a blank page is only reserved for the bravest of Customs officers

Or laziest...

When I arrived in MXP I found the stamp after much searching 2/3 of the way through the blank pages. I don't think the official even bothered looking at my passport when he stamped it.

 

[*A Flyer]

Or laziest...

When I arrived in MXP I found the stamp after much searching 2/3 of the way through the blank pages. I don't think the official even bothered looking at my passport when he stamped it.

Sounds about right for Schengen.

 

[bass_ke]

Is this some form of racism???

NZ doesn't really have an exit or entry stamp, more so permit stamps and As Australians don't need them I imagine stamping one in an Aussie passport would cause some kind of legal mayhem.

Although in saying that I've seen a serial numbered official looking stamp from AKL, maybe only the bigger ports have them?

Didn't mean to trawl up this thread but somehow found myself here!

 

[Mattg]

Generally Australians travelling to NZ and vice versa will not get passport stamps, and vice versa.

In AKL recently, we were told that they no longer stamp passports, unless you are from a country which requires you to get a visa. The guy didn't even have a stamp that he could've stamped our passports with.

Entering and exiting Australia, I've found that they'll only stamp it if you ask (politely). The lady in SYD a few weeks ago said that they were trying to phase out stamping and eventually it probably won't be done.

 

[Mattg]

Or laziest...

When I arrived in MXP I found the stamp after much searching 2/3 of the way through the blank pages. I don't think the official even bothered looking at my passport when he stamped it.

Last time I left Italy the man took my passport, looked at the cover for a second, then gave it back!

 

[Moody]

Being an anti-nationalistic sod (or citizen of the world if you like) I had no real intention of tugging my forelock to the GG and picking up a colonial travel document ... but ... the constant stamping into and out of Australia and New Zealand is getting really old.

Apart from necessitating the purchase of the more expensive 64-pager, there is also the issue of defending blank pages with your life so that they can be used by the tinpot countries that spend half their GDP on pretty visa labels. The Oz immigration officers don't like being told where to stamp my passport, and the really stroppy ones leaf slowly through the pages to find a spot that's just right.

Passport stamps should go the way of rego labels in this day and age!


And stop me if you've heard this before, but the Checkpoint Charlie 10 Euro stamp brought back some memories.

I was Eurail'ing it through Europe in the mid 80's and shared a pension with an American in Rome (as you do). He had just come from West Berlin, but had taken a day trip to East Berlin just to brag to his mates that he had gone behind the Iron Curtain. Everything was going fine (he didn't even mind the way you were forced to convert an amount of USD to the local currency) but then coming back through Checkpoint Charlie the problems began.

The official checking his passport asked a few questions and then handed it back and said "You may go." This was not part of the plan as the Yank wanted his passport stamped with Checkpoint Charlie (or whatever they called it), but no matter how much he tried the official refused. In the end the official shouted something in German and a guard with a machine-gun came over. After speaking with his colleague for a moment he took the passport, glared into the eyes of the American and said "You want your passport stamped???" He then dropped it on the floor and ground his boot into it. "There", he said while handing the passport back, "It's been stamped!"

The atmosphere was suddenly very chilly and the American was regretting not taking the Cold War seriously, but then the guard spoiled it all and started giggliing. "Come here" he said, and took him over to another desk where they stamped his passport for him and sent him on his way back to the West. Didn't even charge him for it!

 

[ferry_man]

Generally Australians travelling to NZ and vice versa will not get passport stamps, and vice versa.

In AKL recently, we were told that they no longer stamp passports, unless you are from a country which requires you to get a visa. The guy didn't even have a stamp that he could've stamped our passports with.

Entering and exiting Australia, I've found that they'll only stamp it if you ask (politely). The lady in SYD a few weeks ago said that they were trying to phase out stamping and eventually it probably won't be done.

Actually - If you enter through the lanes for "Other Passport Holders" (non NZ/Australian) in Auckland as I did (Aus PP holder) with my wife (Canadian PP holder) you can get a generic NZ Entry stamp as I did if you ask. [Stamp says: New Zealand Entry, 25 July 2013, Signed...New Zealand Immigration] The Immigration officer was more than happy to stamp my passport. Wife's stamp was a Visitors Visa - 3 months or deported kind of thing. But I was happy. NZ have never stamped anyone's passport on exit.

 

[markis10]

Had an interesting issue with a stamp in KUL recently, (of course it had to happen when I was rushing to catch the train), it seemed a previous entry stamp was too small and they thought it might be fake, after 20 minutes and a few questions on trip purpose they let me in. Still baffled why a stamp would matter much when the very same agency could verify it in their systems!