What value do you give your i-phone? It’s a pricey piece of kit and you’d be lost without it. Do you give the same value to your passport – not everyone does.

Our friends at Know Before You Go have provided us with the image below. It highlights the importance of checking your passport before you travel and keeping it safe while you are away. Having it renewed at the last minute can be costly and if you lose your passport while you are away you could be spending even more. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office can issue an Emergency Travel Document (ETD), but it will take time, expense and ultimately significant inconvenience. Better that you check your passport now and take precautions to keep it safe while you are away.

Sadly, it doesn’t show how many go through the washing machine each year – but we’d hazard a guess that there are quite a few! Always check your pockets – water damaged passports are not always accepted at immigration. If the laminate is peeling away from the details page (the one with your photo, name, etc.) then you’ll almost certainly need a replacement.

You can read more about passports on the following pages:

Staying safe

IEC Canada – check your passport