Travel.state.gov defines a Limited Validity passport as, ��any passport issued with less than full 10-year validity for those 16 years and older and less than 5-years validity for those under age 16.� Basically it�s a temporary passport issued if yours was lost or stolen while traveling abroad, or you have a citizenship, identity, or name documentation deficiency at the point of application. It will get you out the door, but requires you to provide full documentation before you can get your full passport that�s valid for 10 years (5 years for children under 15).
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