A traveller was blocked from entering Poland because her passport was defaced with handwritten notes, border officials in the country said, prompting a simple warning: don’t write in your passport!

The unidentified American passenger arrived at Krakow’s Balice airport on a flight from London on Wednesday but was stopped at passport control because her document contained handwritten notes of locations and airport names under visa stamps from the countries she had visited, according to Justyna Drozdz, a local border security spokeswoman.

The woman told border security staff she was unaware it was not permitted to write on passports or ID documents. Nevertheless, she was detained at the airport until she could be put on a return flight to London the next day.

As a general rule, it is not permissible for the holder to write in a passport other than to provide a required signature and emergency contacts. Airlines and immigration officials often deny boarding or entry if they feel a passport has been damaged or defaced.

It was not clear why border officials elsewhere had not questioned the woman about her passport.

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