Overview

• Consulates are asking holders of AAL-series passports to return booklets for checks, covering ranges AAL314778–AAL346228, AAL400000–AAL607599 and AAL616000–AAL620088.
• The government reports roughly 5,000–6,000 affected passports, while Deputy Esteban Paulón cites about 60,000 alerts and some reports say more than 200,000 booklets are under review, with Congress seeking details.
• The flaw is described as invisible to the eye and detectable by border scanners, yet several users reported visible defects including thin pages, uneven cuts and stains.
• RENAPER says faulty batches were withdrawn, current production is normal, and protocols ensure recognition of valid documents, free replacements and no-cost emergency passports where needed.
• The issue was first flagged by the São Paulo consulate, which has been emailing recipients and shipping suspect passports to Buenos Aires for testing, with defective units destroyed and reissued.