Small tear on the side of sealed visa envelope - HELP!

[grinchus 11]

Ugh, I am so aggravated!

My fiance's visa was approved on October 14th at the Naples consulate. He couldn't wait around to receive his passport back and the sealed envelope with the visa so he had it couriered to him at his home. All well and good, the package arrived, everything was fine.

In the meantime we have booked him a ticket here, made plans, gotten excited, everything. I'm going there for X-mas and we're flying back together. Hooray!

He had just left everything in the *courier* envelope so he had never actually seen the brown, sealed envelope w/ the visa, but today he had to fish his passport out for other reasons (and he would have had to get his passport out anyway in order to check in to our flight to the U.S.). So, what happens? He opens the courier envelope, gets his passport, and then sees that the sealed, super-duper secret, not-to-open-under-any-circumstances, brown visa envelope has a little, 2 cm tear on the side that probably got there when the courier was putting all of the materials in the courier envelope, or when the consulate handed the passport and envelope over to the courier.

Now my fiance' says it is clear from the nature of the little tear that it does not look like someone was trying to open the envelope, it is just a flaw in the integrity of the paper of the envelope itself.

So...do we freak out? I have emailed the consulate and asked if this is a problem, but who knows when they'll get back to me, and we're now heading into holiday season in Italy so...

Any ideas? Advice?

[New Beginnings 32]

Ugh, I am so aggravated!

My fiance's visa was approved on October 14th at the Naples consulate. He couldn't wait around to receive his passport back and the sealed envelope with the visa so he had it couriered to him at his home. All well and good, the package arrived, everything was fine.

In the meantime we have booked him a ticket here, made plans, gotten excited, everything. I'm going there for X-mas and we're flying back together. Hooray!

He had just left everything in the *courier* envelope so he had never actually seen the brown, sealed envelope w/ the visa, but today he had to fish his passport out for other reasons (and he would have had to get his passport out anyway in order to check in to our flight to the U.S.). So, what happens? He opens the courier envelope, gets his passport, and then sees that the sealed, super-duper secret, not-to-open-under-any-circumstances, brown visa envelope has a little, 2 cm tear on the side that probably got there when the courier was putting all of the materials in the courier envelope, or when the consulate handed the passport and envelope over to the courier.

Now my fiance' says it is clear from the nature of the little tear that it does not look like someone was trying to open the envelope, it is just a flaw in the integrity of the paper of the envelope itself.

So...do we freak out? I have emailed the consulate and asked if this is a problem, but who knows when they'll get back to me, and we're now heading into holiday season in Italy so...

Any ideas? Advice?

Do NOT freak! That tear is actually normal!!

I had the same panick attack when my husband told me about the tear in his. I was on the phone to the consulate to see when he could go back for a new envelope and e-mailing them like a mad woman. But no need to worry. The cut should be a clean cut like the envelope was made that way.

Congrats!

[Nagishkaw 510]

This happened to us. I contacted a POE officer at our local airport and he said a small tear is fine as long as it isn't big enough to get a few fingers or hand in. Needless to say, when my husband arrived with his torn envelope in hand it was accepted without any questions. 2cm shouldn't be a big deal.

[grinchus 11]

This happened to us. I contacted a POE officer at our local airport and he said a small tear is fine as long as it isn't big enough to get a few fingers or hand in. Needless to say, when my husband arrived with his torn envelope in hand it was accepted without any questions. 2cm shouldn't be a big deal.

Thanks, Nagishkaw and New Beginnings! That's a relief! Yes, he said that there's no way that fingers could get in there, and that it's a clean cut. So I'm glad there's no need to freak. I've been freaking out enough during this process - and I'm tired!!

[New Beginnings 32]

This happened to us. I contacted a POE officer at our local airport and he said a small tear is fine as long as it isn't big enough to get a few fingers or hand in. Needless to say, when my husband arrived with his torn envelope in hand it was accepted without any questions. 2cm shouldn't be a big deal.

Thanks, Nagishkaw and New Beginnings! That's a relief! Yes, he said that there's no way that fingers could get in there, and that it's a clean cut. So I'm glad there's no need to freak. I've been freaking out enough during this process - and I'm tired!!

Now it's time to stop freaking and just enjoy the rest of the visa ride!

[Nagishkaw 510]

Now it's time to stop freaking and just enjoy the rest of the visa ride!

I second that!

[Darnell 8,478]

have another look .

if it seems a CUT, then this is normal - clerks made this CUT, is used to 'view' without 'opening' , sometimes at the POE with CBP.

But - if it's a TEAR or a RIP, and IF you have any concern - you can go back to the consulate, they can RE-SEAL it for you... It's a PITA to do this, so

examine the packet again...

see if CUT or RIP.

[grinchus 11]

have another look .

if it seems a CUT, then this is normal - clerks made this CUT, is used to 'view' without 'opening' , sometimes at the POE with CBP.

But - if it's a TEAR or a RIP, and IF you have any concern - you can go back to the consulate, they can RE-SEAL it for you... It's a PITA to do this, so

examine the packet again...

see if CUT or RIP.

I can't check it as I am in the U.S. and the envelope is in Italy. I will ask my fiance' if it is a cut or a tear. From the way he described it, it sounds like a cut made by the clerk. Thanks.

[grinchus 11]

... But - if it's a TEAR or a RIP, and IF you have any concern - you can go back to the consulate, they can RE-SEAL it for you... It's a PITA to do this, so examine the packet again...

see if CUT or RIP.

I can't check it as I am in the U.S. and the envelope is in Italy. I will ask my fiance' if it is a cut or a tear. From the way he described it, it sounds like a cut made by the clerk. Thanks.

Hi all. Darnell, thanks for making me freak out again. JOOOOOOOOOOOKING!!! I appreciate your help, and it's good to check everything and make doubly, triply, sure.

My fiance' said that it is not a tear. It is clear that it was not made by someone's hand or fingers, but that it's a little cut. So it seems that all is well.

It didn't help that my fiance' described the envelope in question as "tutto sfasciato" when he first told me about it, which means "completely ripped to shreds." He is a very colorful Neapolitan who tends towards hyperbole and histrionics, which is mostly extremely endearing and wonderful, but in this case since we're dealing with US immigration bureaucracy, I would have preferred that he describe it as "a teeny, tiny little cut."

[christeen 966]

... But - if it's a TEAR or a RIP, and IF you have any concern - you can go back to the consulate, they can RE-SEAL it for you... It's a PITA to do this, so examine the packet again...

see if CUT or RIP.

I can't check it as I am in the U.S. and the envelope is in Italy. I will ask my fiance' if it is a cut or a tear. From the way he described it, it sounds like a cut made by the clerk. Thanks.

Hi all. Darnell, thanks for making me freak out again. JOOOOOOOOOOOKING!!! I appreciate your help, and it's good to check everything and make doubly, triply, sure.

My fiance' said that it is not a tear. It is clear that it was not made by someone's hand or fingers, but that it's a little cut. So it seems that all is well.

It didn't help that my fiance' described the envelope in question as "tutto sfasciato" when he first told me about it, which means "completely ripped to shreds." He is a very colorful Neapolitan who tends towards hyperbole and histrionics, which is mostly extremely endearing and wonderful, but in this case since we're dealing with US immigration bureaucracy, I would have preferred that he describe it as "a teeny, tiny little cut."

ho capito... sempre tragico!!! non preoccupare

[Louise1114 0]

Hi everyone,

My fiance also recieved his visa, but he DID rip open the seal envelope (obviously before noticing that it was marked "DO NOT OPEN"). The staffers at the Paris embassy warned him about all kinds of things, but didn't mention he would receive a sealed envelope he should open.

Does anyone know what this means for us? We're worried he'll be denied entry and our wedding is in a week and a half!

Thanks for any advice.