В паспорте уже стоит штамп.

Because в can take two different cases:

• в + accusative = motion into something
• в + prepositional = location in something

Here the sentence describes where the stamp is, not movement, so Russian uses the prepositional case:

• паспорт → в паспорте

Compare:

• Положить паспорт в сумку = to put the passport into the bag
• Паспорт в сумке = the passport is in the bag

Russian normally says в паспорте because a passport is treated as a document with contents inside it, especially its pages and entries.

So:

• в паспорте = in the passport, in its pages/records
• на паспорте would sound more like physically on the outside surface or cover of the passport

For official information, stamps, visas, entries, etc., в паспорте is the normal choice.

Not literally. This is a very common Russian usage.

With documents, marks, signatures, seals, dates, and similar official things, Russian often uses стоять to mean be present / be on the document / be there officially.

So В паспорте уже стоит штамп means something like:

• there is already a stamp in the passport
• the passport already has a stamp in it

Similar examples:

• На документе стоит печать = There is a seal on the document.
• Под договором стоит подпись = There is a signature under the contract.
• В справке стоит дата = A date is written on the certificate.

It is partly idiomatic, so it is best learned as a common pattern.

Here штамп means the stamp mark / stamped impression, not the physical rubber stamp tool.

So in this sentence, it refers to the official mark placed in the passport.

Depending on context, штамп can also mean:

• the device used for stamping
• a cliché or overused expression in figurative language

But in passport/document contexts, it usually means the impression.

Уже means already.

It tells you that the stamp is there now, often with a sense that this happened earlier than expected, or that a certain step is now completed.

So the sentence implies something like:

• the passport has the stamp already
• that part is done now

Without уже, В паспорте стоит штамп would simply state the fact more neutrally.

The subject is штамп.

That is why the verb is стоит, which is:

• 3rd person
• singular
• present tense

The sentence structure is not the same as English word-for-word, but grammatically штамп is the thing that stands / is present.

Because it is in the nominative singular, the form used for the subject of the sentence.

Dictionary form:

• штамп

In В паспорте уже стоит штамп, the stamp is the thing being talked about as existing there, so nominative is correct.

Yes, absolutely. That is grammatical and natural.

The difference is mainly in style and nuance:

• В паспорте уже есть штамп = there is already a stamp in the passport

  • more neutral
  • focuses on existence

• В паспорте уже стоит штамп = there is already a stamp there / the stamp is officially there

  • more idiomatic for documents
  • often sounds a bit more official or document-related

Both are possible, but стоит is especially common with official markings.

Yes, but those mean something slightly different.

• В паспорте уже стоит штамп
  Focus: the stamp is there now as a fact/state.

• В паспорт уже поставили штамп
  Focus: someone put the stamp there; this emphasizes the action.

• В паспорте уже поставлен штамп
  Focus: the stamp has been placed; this is more formal/passive.

So стоит describes the resulting state in a very natural way for official paperwork.

Russian word order is flexible, and this order is very natural because it presents the information in a common flow:

1. В паспорте = sets the location/context
2. уже стоит = says what the situation is
3. штамп = gives the key item

This often sounds like: As for the passport, there is already a stamp in it.

Other orders are possible, but they change emphasis:

• Штамп уже стоит в паспорте = stronger focus on штамп
• Уже в паспорте стоит штамп = unusual unless you want special emphasis

So the original order is probably the most neutral and natural in many contexts.

Not exactly hidden, but English and Russian handle this differently.

English might say:

• There is already a stamp in the passport.

Russian does not need a verb like is in the same way here. Instead, it uses the lexical verb стоит, which gives a more specific idea than just to be.

So rather than a plain existence sentence, Russian expresses the presence of the stamp through the very common document-verb pattern стоять + mark/sign/stamp.

The main stresses are:

• в паспОрте
• ужЕ
• стоИт
• штамп (one syllable, so it is automatically stressed)

So the whole sentence is pronounced roughly:

в паспОрте ужЕ стоИт штамп

The в is unstressed and attaches closely to the next word.