Help please- bleached front of passport- can I travel?

[fedupandgrumpy000]

Hello,
Wasn’t sure where to post this but looking for a bit of advice as I’m in a panic!
Due to fly to Croatia tomorrow and just went to get my passport from the drawer to see that a face serum has spilt all over the front and has bleached the gold on the cover ( it is now silver )
Will I be able to fly or will the passport be invalid? The inside photo page is okay- I’m just worried that the front cover being bleached/ damaged will get me turned away! If anyone has any experience flying with a damaged passport or any knowledge on it please let me know!

I might be completely overthinking and panicking- if so please help me rest my mind 😅

Can you post a photo of how it looks?

Block out identifying details of course.

I don’t have it with me atm (on a night shift) but basically most of the gold on the front has been bleached to a silvery colour

You'll be fine as long as it hasn't affected any of the pages inside.

Ok thankyou!

I'm guessing you haven't ever got your passport wet/sweaty!

I think @LookAtThatCritter is right that if it's only the front cover you should be OK.

The Passport Office guidance says that a damaged passport is one "which isn't in a condition to be accepted as proof of identity"

To be clear I'm absolutely no expert in these matters, but if the bleaching only affects the cover and the details / photo / chip inside are unaffected, I wouldn't have thought this would stop you being identified?

I think you’ll probably be ok, as long as it’s not damaged the inside of the pages where the photo and numbers are.

Probably a silly question but where is the chip? I’m clueless I know!

Don’t some people put their passports in covers and you wouldn’t even be able to see the front? I agree with the other comments thus far.

@drspouse

I'm guessing you haven't ever got your passport wet/sweaty!

I picked up this woman's passport once (when I was in a house share many years ago,) as she was worried about one of the 7 other lodgers nicking it,) and I went to the bathroom on the way back to my room and dropped it in the toilet!!!

It got a bit wet but not too bad. When I told her, she was like then but then she laughed when she realised it was OK, and no-one had nicked it!!!

Never done anything to my own passport funnily enough.

@fedupandgrumpy000

Probably a silly question but where is the chip? I’m clueless I know!

Inside the passport. Opposite the photo (I think!)

Okay so nothing to do with the front cover? Thankyou everyone for the reassurance (slightly embarrassing at 22 I still have to ask advice like this )

@fedupandgrumpy000

Okay so nothing to do with the front cover? Thankyou everyone for the reassurance (slightly embarrassing at 22 I still have to ask advice like this )

I am old enough to be your mama, and I wasn't 100% sure! I am willing to bet you know a lot more about a lot of things than I do.

Have a lovely time in Croatia. Beautiful country!

If it's a UK passport, the chip is on the very last page before the back cover, which is the "face page" and is thick and laminated. Your pic and info is on the front of that page, and if you flip the page over you can see the chip.

Purely anecdotal, but my passport has most of the gold lettering/design on the front rubbed off - you can tell it says European Union and United Kingdom but that's it. I've not had a problem or even any comments. I usually hand it over open to the "face page" if dealing with a human - if it's immigration they may also leaf through and look at the various entry and exit stamps. Sometimes it's not even a person and you just have to scan the "face page". A cover could be a good idea if you have one.

Think you'll be fine - pretty much all the lettering and crest has rubbed off my passport. I've had a couple of stern looks from passport control over the years but everything inside is intact so it's been fine!

Yes it will be fine. The issues are really if it looks like it's been tampered with or if the ID page has anything odd going on.