Traveller Held at Immigration for Wrong Pagination of Philippine Passport

By now, we’ve heard all sorts of horror stories about travel mishaps. But on 1 Apr 2019, Carlos Canlas shared yet another terrifying travel story that shocked several travellers. Apparently, the pages of his passport were all mixed up — and he only found out when he was held at the immigration because of this.

Also read: 15 ‘Terrifying’ Passport Stories of Filipino Travellers

On his Facebook account, Canlas posted the photos of his already bound passport showing wrong pagination. “For those getting or renewing their passports, double check all the details and the pages of your passports before traveling abroad,” he captioned the photos. “Got (held) at the immigration because of this stupid error.”

Like most travellers, Canlas was most concerned about the correct printing of his personal details such as his name and birth date. This said, he didn’t bother checking the other pages of his passport.

Some people were curious about how Canlas dealt with the situation. In the comments section, Canlas shared that the immigration officer told him to get a new passport but he refused to do so. “I insisted and fought (…) it wasn’t my fault. Boarding na at that time, and ayaw ko(ng) maiwan sa flight kasi may connecting flight kami. The immigration officer let me sign the Risk Awareness Form na hindi sila responsible kung hindi man ako papasukin sa HK at US kasi (doon) ang destination namin. Thank heavens na lang kasi hindi na pinansin ng immigration (officer) ng HK at LA, but my heart was pounding the whole time.”

Furthermore, Canlas shared that other travellers suffering the same case weren’t allowed to board their flights. In his case, however, the traveller chose to fight for his rights.

After his trip, Canlas returned to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to get a new passport. While the department wanted him to pay at first, the traveller refused because he knew he wasn’t at fault.

Because of all the hassles he had to endure, Canlas urges every traveller to double check every detail of their passports as to avoid going through the same problem. “Thought of sharing this so it won’t happen with you guys. Iwas abala na rin or hassle sa bakasyon.”