Visa nightmare

oneshot2shots

Its a long, tragic story.I am well aware and numerous individuals have informed me, its my own fault.

I have lost my passport 3 times. The last time it was taken was last Saturday. I am currently in the states on an ESTA(Basically a 3 month training VISA). While on this ESTA I was applying for a year long VISA. Obviously losing the passport the process has to be started again. The worst possible timing.

Long story short, after losing the passport 3 times they will only give me a temporary visa. I cannot, to my knowledge, apply for a year long VISA with a 6 month passport.

"If you have a poor passport record, (that is, you have lost two or more passports) it is likely that a limited passport facility will be given to you for specific travel purposes. On each occasion on which a new passport is issued to you, (even when the passport is being issued for a limited time) you will have to pay the full cost of this passport."

The operative word being "is likely", surely this would fall into the ambit of one of those exceptions?? Those will be a huge blow to my career if I don't get a passport over a prolonged period of time, meaning no VISA, no New York, no job opportunities.

Its a tough spot to be in, feel free to criticize the missing passport, but if anyone has any stories or advice on how to deal with this please post. I'm ringing the Dublin and Cork offices on Monday to plead my case but I'm pretty sure after losing my third passport there will be no tears shed and they will be happy to see me burn. I was also thinking of calling a few local Councillors to see if there is anything they could do, The consequences of not getting this are so critical I have to try all avenues.

Jim2007

Sorry to hear about your situation, do you at least have a good explanation for loosing your passport, like it was stolen or something?

Panda_Turtle

You'd need to go to the Irish embassy or fly back to the passport office itself or get someone to head in for you. Bring as much evidence as possible as to your situation. I had to do something similar to get a passport asap, there is a passport thread on boards here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055861574

Or you could ask in the USA forum too.

oneshot2shots

Thanks, because of the nature of the situation I will have to stay here with the company until the ESTA is up, then apply for a VISA. Then I'll head to the office. It was pickpocketed I can't believe it, but that's not going to hold water when I lost two other passports. Didn't know about the thread and was not sure where exactly to put this either.

Can someone actually head in on my behalf?

ANXIOUS

Have you reported it to the police? A police report may help your case.

Mr. Loverman

EUR 2k per passport... not bad.

My advice: get your mother involved.

Get her to ring on your behalf. Get her to ring the local councillor. It's amazing how sympathetic people can be when a mother gets involved.

Stheno

Over what timeframe have you lost three passports?

oneshot2shots

Lost the passports over a period of 6 years. (or about 24 if that includes the time I had a passport before losing it initially and assuming I had a passport when i was 0 years old).

The mother involved sounds like a good bet I must say, but will have to weight it against her never-ending abuse. Suppose it is worth it considering this is so serious. I will report it to the police tomorrow, I'm 99.9% it was pickpocketed (The same guy who got me took a wallet from my friend) but was still hoping it would show up on my doorstep with an envelope and christmas wrapping. No such luck.

Stheno

oneshot2shots wrote: »

Lost the passports over a period of 6 years. (or about 24 if that includes the time I had a passport before losing it initially and assuming I had a passport when i was 0 years old).

Passport office will take an extremely dim view of you basically losing a passport every two years over the six years.

You've got some of your terms mixed up, an ESTA is longer than three months, it usually lasts for two years, and basically it's just preapproval to enter the US.

Are you over there on the standard 90 day (NOT 3 months) visit that all Irish people can do without a visa?

Best of luck, but be prepared for a fairly negative reaction from the passport office. If all three losses are due to crime/mugging, make sure you have all the details to prove it was not your own carelessness that caused the loss.

scheister

one passport was pickpocket what happened the the other 2. i was in a similar situation few years ago when it looked like they would not issue me a passport after losing 3 passports in very quick timespan. But i turned the house upside down in hope of finding one of the lost passports and found one and they issues a passport no problem then.

Any hope that if your mother searched the house top to bottom one of the older passports may appear?

Panda_Turtle

scheister wrote: »

i was in a similar situation few years ago when it looked like they would not issue me a passport after losing 3 passports in very quick timespan. But i turned the house upside down in hope of finding one of the lost passports and found one and they issues a passport no problem then.

Any hope that if your mother searched the house top to bottom one of the older passports may appear?

Hmmm I lost my passport, replaced it then found the old one a few weeks later, which I tore to shreds!!.. should have kept it by the sounds of it!

Back to the OP evidence from the police, print offs of visa requirements, copy of your contract from work, a letter outlining the situation clearly etc could all help.

ABajaninCork

Next time, don't walk about with your passport! Always keep a photocopy on you.

Stheno

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Next time, don't walk about with your passport! Always keep a photocopy on you.

I'd agree with this too!