Microsoft activation after reinstall

If I remove and reinstall Microsoft Office 2003 do I have to go through the product activation process again?

Does the removal process leave the activation keys in the registry or some file?

I believe that my copy has been damaged and this may be the only way to get it fixed. However, I have rebuilt this system before so last time I had to call and wait on hold for a hour to active it via a person. This is a big pain that I would rather not do again.

John