the new U.S. passports

I got my new one quickly and easily this morning, waiting only about 40 minutes for my number to be called, as opposed to the usual lengthier period of limbo with no metallic time-killing devices. It’s already at the Egyptian Ministry of Immigration getting the new residence visa put in, which should take another 10 days or so. Then, if all goes well, I’m clear on this front for the next 10 years.

But I don’t like the new U.S. passport design. For two reasons:

1. There aren’t very many pages in it, so it won’t be long before I have to go through the “please put extra pages in it” routine. Not such a big deal, except that I’d rather not set foot in the Embassy for another 10 years if possible. It raises my blood pressure to be inside that minor, temporary prison, cut off from the outside world until business is done.

2. The photo is no longer on the backside of the cover. It’s now on the backside of the first piece of paper. The only reason that bothers me is because not all passport control people around the world are used to that new design yet. My emergency passport had the same feature, and in Istanbul in particular it caused serious suspicion and prolonged questioning from an official. But I suppose this will go away quickly once the design becomes more familiar around the world.