At RushMyPassport, people come to us to replace lost passports all the time. For one British man currently living in Australia, though, his passport is impossible to lose- it’s tattooed across his back!<\/p>\n
According to the Sun<\/a>, Richard Ashton decided to have the tattoo done in 2006, to commemorate a backpacking trip to the country he now calls home. The tattoo includes all of the information on the identification page of his passport, including his passport number. What possessed him to have all of that tattooed across his back in permanent ink? He explains:<\/p>\n “I wanted something to remember my holiday by, but also wanted something patriotic. My girlfriend at the time thought I was a bit daft, but eventually she found it hilarious. That seems to be the general reaction.”<\/p>\n Of course, the tattoo is basically useless for international travel. Customs and Border Protection made a point of debunking a Canadian citizen’s claim that he used a scanned copy of his passport stored on his iPad to crossd the border; there’s no way a copy stored in your skin would ever be considered legit.<\/p>\n That said, Mr. Ashton has been able to use his passport tattoo to withdraw money at the bank.\u00a0\u00a0 Apparently the teller figured that if he was willing to go through the cost and pain involved in getting the information tattooed on his back, the chances were good that it was actually his<\/em> information.<\/p>\n Travelers are advised to travel with a printed copy of their passport in addition to the original, which makes it easier to replace a stolen or lost passport overseas. In theory, Mr. Ashton’s tattoo could serve the same purpose, making it so that he can always access his biographical information and passport number. Keep in mind, though, that your passport number changes every time you renew or replace it. Tattoos, on the other hand, are for life.<\/p>\n If you need to replace a lost passport, see Passport Replacement Services<\/a> for detailed information on how to do that in the United States.\u00a0 If you are overseas and you’ve lost your passport, see How to Replace a Lost Passport Overseas<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you’re in the US and you need to replace a lost passport quickly for travel, you have two options: make an appointment on one of the country’s 24 regional passport agency offices or use a private passport agency like RushMyPassport. RushMyPassport hand carries your paperwork to the Department of State for processing in as little as 24 hours. Plus, by going through a private company you avoid the twin hassles of having to make an appointment and having to travel to a passport agency office.<\/p>\n