Here's the reason why the final few pages of your passport remain blank.

If you've ever flipped through your passport to check how many pages you have left, you might want to double-check—those last few pages are actually not intended for stamps or visas for entry and exit.

These are known as endorsement pages. According to the State Department, you should not place any entry or exit stamps on these pages. Typically, in a standard passport, these are the last two pages, or the last three in a 52-page extended passport. Specifically, they are the pages labeled not with "visas" at the top, but with the phrase "endorsements / mentions spéciales / anotaciones" running down the side.

A spokesperson from the State Department stated, "The last few pages of a passport book are designated for endorsements, which consist of typed lines providing extra details about the conditions under which a passport was issued or how it may be utilized."

These endorsements are usually typed (though they can sometimes be stamped or handwritten) in all capital letters on one of the endorsement pages of the passport, typically at the time of issuance. Immigration officials commonly review them.

Reasons you might need an endorsement page.

There are numerous reasons why someone may have extra details on their endorsement pages, with the most common being that the passport serves as a replacement for one that was lost or stolen. In this case, the endorsement would clarify the reasons for issuance, the expiration date, and whether the passport's validity can be extended. The same applies to replacements for passports that were mistakenly canceled, damaged, or had errors (like a misspelled name).

Other scenarios might indicate whether the passport holder (and, in some cases, their eligible family members) holds a specific status that permits international travel. This includes individuals such as Peace Corps volunteers, members of the American National Red Cross, military personnel, U.S. diplomats or ambassadors, members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, the Attorney General, or current or former Secretaries of State, Vice Presidents, or Presidents of the United States.

An endorsement may also be necessary in rare cases where your name is too lengthy to fit on the data page. While your surname will never be shortened, your first and middle names might be if they exceed the available space, in which case the full spelling would appear on the endorsement page. Similarly, celebrities known primarily by a stage name would have that name listed on the endorsements page. For instance, although Lady Gaga’s passport data page would show her birth name, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, there could be an endorsement indicating her use of an assumed name alongside her legal name.

Furthermore, endorsements may restrict the validity of a passport. For example, an individual facing deportation from another country or a criminal being extradited back to the United States would receive an endorsement (often accompanied by a special stamp) stating that the passport is only valid for returning to the U.S. by a specific date, after which it becomes void.

Is it permissible to use those pages for visas?

Even if none of the endorsement categories apply to your situation, you still cannot utilize that space for visas; however, there are instances when an immigration official may inadvertently stamp those pages.

According to a State Department spokesperson, "A stamp mistakenly placed in the endorsement section of the passport shouldn't invalidate the passport, but the final judgment lies with the border official."

If you're running out of pages...

If you're low on passport pages, it's time to start planning to renew your passport.