Immediately after washing, assess the extent of damage. If the owner of the document can be recognized by the photograph, and all the seals and inscriptions are freely readable, although they are blurry, then the passport will be recognized as valid and it can be used. The legislation does not establish requirements for the appearance of the document, therefore it is mandatory to be withdrawn, not accepted or to be replaced only when it does not allow confirming the identity of the person who provided it.

In those cases when the passport is completely damaged and obviously cannot be used and restored, it is necessary to replace it. To do this, we first turn to the police station at the place of residence, in which we receive a certificate of the loss of the document. With her we go to the passport office, where we get a temporary identity card and draw up documents for a new passport. As for the fine, it is legally payable only when using an invalid document. If you immediately contact the police, then financial expenses (a fine is from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles) are likely to be avoided.

With regard to travel, with a certificate confirming the identity, you can freely travel inside the country. Contrary to popular belief, a copy of a passport, even notarized, cannot be moved around the country! If the trouble occurred during a trip abroad, you must contact the police department to resolve the issue and obtain a temporary document. When there is no certainty whether the passport has been badly damaged and if they will be allowed to leave the country, you can contact the airport customs control in advance and get the necessary information.