How can I change my passport due to wear and tear?

Signs of passport damage

A damaged passport must be replaced when there is:

• Paper wear. Reading personal data is impossible (the owner’s last name, first name, patronymic is difficult to read, the photograph is worn out, seals and signatures are blurred);
• Presence of erroneous entries. These include all marks prohibited by administrative legislation - drawings, customs stamps, notes made by the owner himself;
• Damage to a document by mechanical force. Photographs, information, and prints have become unclear due to water, dirt, or charring by fire;
• Significant tears, missing pages.

Signs of unsuitability

The legislation of the Russian Federation provides for the replacement of a passport in the presence of certain grounds, for example, reaching a certain age or in cases where the passport is considered damaged and must be exchanged for a new one. Clause 12 of the “Regulations on the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, a sample form and description of a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation,” approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 8, 1997 No. 828 (as amended on November 18, 2016), provides for the replacement of a passport in case of wear or damage to the document. To avoid wasting time and money, it is important to know what is considered passport damage.

There are a number of reasons why an identity card is unsuitable for further use:

• mechanical damage, resulting in loss of clarity of photos or recordings;
• the document is so worn out that the information entered can barely be read, and it is impossible to recognize the owner from the photograph (therefore, if you do not know whether the passport can be changed due to its dilapidation, if it is in poor condition, the answer will be positive);
• Stamps and seals were placed incorrectly;
• unauthorized entry of information into a document.

A “washed” passport is the most common cause of damage. Many people wonder whether a passport is valid if it gets wet. It is worth noting that the current legislation does not have standards defining the degree of deterioration: the main document is considered valid if all the inscriptions can be read and the ink has not flowed.

In what cases is a citizen obliged to pay a fine for damaging a passport?

The responsibility for careful storage is assigned by the legislation of the Russian Federation to its owner. The holder of a damaged passport may be brought to administrative responsibility under Article 19.16 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. The basis for the penalty is the action of a citizen of the Russian Federation who deliberately damaged the identity card, or inaction through careless storage.

Administrative liability under this article begins at the age of 16. From 14 to 16 years old, the owner who caused the damage will not be held accountable.

Amount of fine for damaging a passport

As a result of drawing up an administrative protocol, the owner may be punished. The fine for a damaged passport under Article 19.16 of the Code of Administrative Offenses varies from 100 to 300 rubles.

Civil servants can limit themselves to issuing an oral remark, saving a careless citizen from financial losses.

In addition to the fine, you will have to pay a fee for a new form. Restoring data in a new document and printing it is subject to a state fee of 1,500 rubles. When it is planned to release a new copy with electronic media, replacement services cost 2,500 rubles.

The fees are set by the state. The Federal Migration Service charges the established amount without making changes.

Necessary documents for replacing a passport if damaged

An appeal to the migration service will be effective if you have:

• applications for replacement of a Russian passport due to damage. An application for a replacement passport (application form) can be filled out upon application or in advance;
• ID card that needs to be changed;
• photographs - 2 pcs. (35x45 mm);
• receipts confirming that the passport replacement fee has been paid. The state fee for a damaged passport can only be confirmed by information about the details of the payment receipt.

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If the passport is damaged so that it is impossible to read the information contained therein, documents confirming this information will also be required. Additional documents to replace a damaged passport:

1. Confirmation of marital status - certificates of a concluded or divorced marriage.
2. Confirmation of information about young children - their birth certificates.
3. Confirmation of information about military service - military ID.

Please note that replacing a passport if damaged takes some time, especially if the procedure is not carried out at the place of permanent registration. In this case, in order not to be left without a document for a long time, submit an application to the employees of the Federal Migration Service or the passport office for the issuance of a VUL (temporary identity card). Why you need and how to register a VUL read here.

When should the fine be paid?

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If the protocol was drawn up reasonably, the required amount should be paid within the permitted period. This period is 60 days. If no action is taken after this period, further sanctions are imposed on the applicant. The justification is the refusal of a citizen of the Russian Federation to fulfill his own obligations to the state. Most often, the amount of the first penalty, which was assigned according to the protocol, is doubled.

For example, a fine of 100 rubles was imposed. After 60 days, the next penalty is imposed in the amount of 200 rubles. They must be paid along with the first fine. As a result, 300 rubles are collected.

A penalty for using an invalid passport after the 30 days allotted for its replacement may be added to the amount. An omission entails more serious sums of 3,000 – 5,000 rubles.

It is difficult for government officials to prove exactly when the damage to the passport occurred. If an invalid document is presented to other organizations, the latter can complain to the FMS or the police.

Unpaid fines can become an obstacle when traveling outside the Russian Federation.

When a document becomes unusable

Every Russian citizen is obliged to keep his passport carefully. If the document has acquired an improper appearance, it must be immediately restored, while paying a fine and state duty. It is important to understand in which case a passport is considered damaged. The main identity card of a citizen of the Russian Federation becomes invalid if any of the following occurs.

1. Drawings that were not provided for by the rules, marks, and inscriptions appeared in the passport. This usually happens in families with small children.
2. Corrections in the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. If a citizen, after receiving the document in hand, discovers errors, he does not have the right to make corrections on his own, since such corrections make the passport invalid.
3. The pages of the document were torn. Pets, children, and the owner could tear the passport. What to do if your passport is torn, we will consider further in more detail. The document must be exchanged regardless of the degree of damage: even if it is a small tear, and even more so - a torn page.
4. The passport has worn out during use. This is expressed in the obliteration of seals, stamps, and inscriptions. When it is impossible to read the information in a document, it must be changed.
5. It is necessary to change the passport due to unusability if there are traces of mechanical impact, in the case when the document was exposed to chemicals, fell into a liquid environment, or the pages were burnt. Even if such influences were weak, but as a result small stains appeared on the pages, the document must be changed.

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If any of the above occurs, the owner of the damaged passport document must receive a new one.

If there is a theft

It happens that citizens become victims of crimes and their documents are stolen. How to restore your passport after theft? First of all, you must immediately file a report about the incident with the police. To prevent your passport from being used for criminal purposes, you must issue an announcement to the press about its invalidity as soon as possible.

Passport restoration occurs by obtaining a new document. A police certificate about the theft is added to the standard list of papers required for the procedure. In the application for a passport, the reason for receipt must indicate theft.

Payment Methods

There are many different ways to repay the penalty imposed on the applicant:

1. Deposit funds through the nearest bank teller. Carried out during business hours of the bank branch;
2. Transfer through the application, bank website;
3. Use of payment terminals;
4. Payment on the government services portal (submitting an electronic application).

The last 3 options are feasible at any convenient time.

When applying in person, the necessary receipts and forms are usually issued by a FMS employee. Migration service branches have special stands with important information posted, sample applications and payment details are posted.

On the State Services portal, the necessary information is located in the appropriate section. Payment is made online, choosing the most convenient method of transferring money.

How to change a damaged passport

If your passport turns out to be damaged, invalid and needs to be exchanged, do not despair! Find out the information on how to replace a damaged passport, what documents are needed, what is the replacement procedure if it is damaged. This will help restore it in a short time.

Minimal damage to the part of the page where the information is not contained (for example, the corner of the page is torn) does not provide grounds for recognizing the passport as damaged.

Where to contact

Start replacing a damaged passport (you should contact one of the two official structures authorized to provide this service (you can also change an expired one here):

• branch of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) in the area of ​​residence;
• state multifunctional center (MFC) located in your area.

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Each citizen makes the choice of the most convenient office location independently.

If a person who is seriously ill and undergoing long-term treatment or on a long business trip needs to change their passport due to unsuitability, their relatives can apply.

How long does it take to replace an identity card?

The passport replacement regulations indicate the maximum time required for restoration due to damage:

• up to 10 days — if the application was submitted to the FMS in the area of ​​​​permanent registration;
• up to 60 days - if submitted to the Federal Migration Service, where you are registered temporarily.

Don't delay replacing your ID if it's damaged! To restore a document, submit an application within a month after it was damaged.

Submitting an application to the State Services

To replace a damaged Russian passport, turning to the State Services portal is becoming increasingly popular. You can change your passport through government services without leaving your home, at any convenient time.

We are looking for a service. From the popular services presented, we select “replacement of ID card if damaged”: use is impossible due to unsuitability. Having made a choice, we then write: last name, first name, patronymic, when and where you were born, telephone number for contact. You will need to indicate where you live, what country you are a citizen of, and also who your parents are. We inform you about your marital status and whether you have children. When completing the procedure, we provide information about the damaged document, and also indicate whether you have received a foreign passport before. Now all that remains is to choose the branch of the migration service to which you will submit your application. We carefully check what is written and confirm the submission of the application. We monitor letters arriving by email and wait for information on where and when we can receive a new document.