If you subscribe to my daily travel tip newsletter, then you know I’m constantly preaching about protecting your passport. Unfortunately, I have plenty of firsthand experience with lost and damaged passports, like the time my wife lost hers on a bike tour in Estonia and the time our then one-year-old son ripped a blank page out of her passport. RELATED: Have You Ever Read the Fine Print Inside Your Passport? You Should
Well, thanks to a dog named Chickie, a happy couple are in jeopardy of missing their own wedding in Italy. According to NBC News, “With less than two weeks to go until a Boston couple ties the knot in Italy, there’s one big problem…their dog ate the groom’s passport. After years of wedding planning, Donato Frattaroli and his fiancée Magda Mazri are facing a problem they never could have planned for.”
It turns out Chickie chewed out the first four pages of the passport, though it doesn’t matter if he’d just ripped out a single page like my wife experienced. The passport in no longer valid.
Fortunately, they have two weeks to get a new passport so I think they should be fine but they need to scramble. My advice is to try and secure an emergency appointment at one of the 26 regional passport agencies. The New England office probably won’t happen so Frattaroli needs to get creative.
According to NBC, he did reach out to lawmakers, which is a good start. “Sent out an email to Congressman Lynch’s office, then got in touch with Sen. Markey, their staffs have both been incredible, super communicative,” Frattaroli said. “But ultimately, it really comes down to the State Department and the passport office.”
But Frattaroli really needs to check under-utilized passport offices like Buffalo or San Juan in Puerto Rico. That’s right. He might have to jump on a plane and fly to Puerto Rico for the day just so he can get a new passport. That’s why I am constantly telling people to make sure they keep their passports safe and always verify that it’s still valid before you travel. NOTE: Some countries won’t let you in if it expires within six months, even if you’re visiting just for a day.
The good news is you can usually get an appointment at Buffalo or San Juan or even Honolulu like this TikToker did.
Another, possibly more expensive, option is to contact an expediter to see if they can help. Depending on your situation, it may well be worth the fee. I recently interviewed one of the very first expediters, David J. Alwadish, from ItsEasy.com, who has plenty of experience and advice.
The NY Post is reporting that “the groom-to-be said if he can’t secure a passport before the flight, he’ll stay at home while his fiance and their wedding guests go to Italy without him. If he still can’t get a passport in time for the wedding, he said he’ll just meet the wedding party when they return to the US.”
It’s a good attitude but nothing beats the real thing. Here are 12 passport tips that will save you time, money and headaches.
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