Comment on DOS-2026-0496-0001

Dear U.S. Department of State, I truly appreciate the opportunity for commenting regarding the proposed transition to a single 38-page passport book. As a U.S. citizen who has lived abroad and traveled internationally extensively for both business and tourism, I am concerned about eliminating the larger passport book option. During my time living overseas, I have filled a standard-sized U.S. ePassport in less than two years due to normal international travel requirements, nearly filling a 52 page passport, as well as experiencing the process of replacing it while overseas. I have witnessed in my travels, long-term overseas residents, frequent international travelers, some work-related travelers and my own self have accumulate large visa stickers that cover a full page, entry and exit stamps that will cover 1/4 or 1/2 a page, random blank pages as the customs & border patrol immigration officer missed pages that were then never filled back in, and required residency documentation slips stapled into the passport book. All of these conditions result in pages being much more quickly filled than the average passport holder. I have also experienced losing a passport while living overseas and navigating the replacement process. While some portions of the process could be completed by postal mail, other parts of the process required in-person visits to U.S. embassy and consular facilities. Additional passport renewals create more than just a financial burden; they can require time away from work, loss in wages, transportation costs, administrative coordination, possible days-long appointment queues, and added stress not just for the passport holders, but their families as well. I recognize and appreciate efforts to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and modernize passport services, including online renewal improvements. However, online processing does not fully address the practical realities faced by Americans living and traveling internationally, as work deadlines and passport replacement processes do not always align neatly. A larger-capacity passport option serves an important purpose for a smaller but significantly impacted group of U.S. citizens, as well as significantly relieving the burden on the overseas officers who are receiving the appointments, interviews, payments (oh! and more administrative debt/credit card processing fees) and handling & processing the more frequent passport replacement requests. I respectfully and strongly encourage the Department to consider maintaining an expanded-capacity passport option for overseas residents and high-frequency international travelers that are flexible enough to accommodate the foreign immigration authorities’ requirements. As for any limited edition/commemorative page styles of a standard passport book, that should cost extra money for that, just like vanity license plates on a car. The traditional page style of amazing points of interest, should not cost extra, plus it’s nice to share the profound and historical quotes with others. Thank you very kindly for your time and consideration.