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The UK Foreign Office has stepped in to help the group.
Pupils from a school in Walsall, UK had been excited to finally take a Covid-delayed skiing holiday in the US, but their trip went a bit off-piste in the end thanks to a head-scratching act by their hotel.
For an as-yet unexplained reason, staff at the Kancamagus Lodge in Lincoln, New Hampshire accidentally shredded most of the group’s passports.
Barr Beacon School Headteacher Katie Hibbs told the BBC: “Forty-one of the passports were destroyed whilst the group were staying at the hotel in New Hampshire.”
The schoolkids, aged between 12 and 15, had just completed their skiing trip and were due to head home.
The UK Foreign Office has stepped in to help the group, but the new document process meant an extra four days away.
One mother, who didn’t want to be named, told the BBC the experience “was a horrific shock”.
“It’s the first time she has been away from family for this long.”
However, she was full of praise for teacher Hibbs, who she called “fantastic” for her problem-solving.
One positive of the ordeal saw the youngsters getting a trip to New York while they waited for the documents to be completed. The school posted photos of the students enjoying the sights.
A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said it was “processing their applications for emergency travel documents so the staff and children can return to the UK as quickly as possible”.
Even minor damage to a passport can cause travellers to be refused entry into countries.
BROOK SABIN/STUFF
Getting novelty stamps in your passport is a mistake, with an official warning airlines or some countries might not accept your passport if it has them.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade here has revealed in the past 10 years it’s been asked to assist with 78 cases of Kiwis having trouble with their passports overseas because of damage.
Mfat can issue an emergency travel document – but it can be a stressful process, especially if you’re trapped in a foreign country.
But what constitutes a damaged passport? Unfortunately there is no uniform answer.
In April, an Australian woman was denied boarding on her flight from Sydney to Auckland after a “tiny nibble and tears” from her toddler were discovered at the airport.
In 2020 a well-travelled businesswoman was stopped by Australian Border Force officials who spotted a small tear in her passport. Luckily an airline representative came to the rescue and waved her through.
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