How to Know What to Do if Your Passport Is Lost or Stolen
Double check that your passport is gone for real., Go back over your recent tracks., Don't panic., File a police report., Seek an emergency replacement passport., Find out about what you need to do to get new visas or immigration stamps., Get it...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Double check that your passport is gone for real.
Did you put it somewhere else for safekeeping, such as the hotel safe, or a different part of your bag or room? Did you leave it with a friend or the hotel concierge? -
Step 2: Go back over your recent tracks.
Try to remember when you last saw your passport and work back from that moment.
Where have you been since? Which shops, restaurants, offices, theaters, sites, etc., have you been to? Track back to each of those sites and go to their manager or lost property bureau and ask whether a passport has been handed in. , If you haven't found it yet, it's normal to start to feel worried.
Panicking won't change the reality of the situation, however, and you still need to think clearly. , This is usually required for both replacement purposes and for any insurance claims for any other items stolen or lost at the same time as your passport.
Take along a friend or someone whom you can trust to interpret for you if you don't speak the same language as the country in which you're filing the report.
Take along photocopies of the passport (yes, you should have these!) and any other identifying information you still have with you.
Always get a copy of the police report.
If it looks half-baked (some countries don't have very official-looking reports), ask for the name of the station and phone number to be typed or written and initialed onto it, at a minimum.
This is important if you are making an insurance claim. , The rules on these will depend entirely on your country.
Turn up to your country's embassy or commission (in some countries, you might need to go to another country's mission that holds the authority for your country).
Explain what has happened and ask for a replacement passport.
Again, take along any identification and copies of originals that you do have on you.
Follow their instructions.
Let them know if you need any other assistance, such as financial, medical, etc. and follow their prompts.
Get a proper passport as soon as required.
Emergency replacement passports tend not to have a long duration, so be sure to apply for a new, proper one as soon as it is convenient to do so. , Ask your own embassy first, as they will probably know best.
Then, visit the relevant immigration department of the country you are in, taking along anything that your own embassy has provided you with to substantiate your claim. , Whenever you travel, always keep photocopies of important documents, traveler's check serial numbers, credit card numbers, etc., in a completely different part of your luggage from your real documentation and cards.
Make copies of your passport and visas, driver's license, any photo ID you're relying on, traveler's check serial numbers, credit card numbers, receipts and confirmations for all pre-booked services, contact details of people you travel and stay with, travel insurance, resume and any letters of referral if job-seeking, bank account numbers if relevant, phone numbers of people back home.
Make use of cloud computing or your email to store quickly retrievable copies too; this can be excellent for when you don't want to carry around photocopies but you do need internet access, so don't rely on this as the only method of making copies.
You can also leave copies of all these things in a folder at home with family or a best friend, who can email or fax through details if needed. -
Step 3: Don't panic.
-
Step 4: File a police report.
-
Step 5: Seek an emergency replacement passport.
-
Step 6: Find out about what you need to do to get new visas or immigration stamps.
-
Step 7: Get it right every time.
Detailed Guide
Did you put it somewhere else for safekeeping, such as the hotel safe, or a different part of your bag or room? Did you leave it with a friend or the hotel concierge?
Try to remember when you last saw your passport and work back from that moment.
Where have you been since? Which shops, restaurants, offices, theaters, sites, etc., have you been to? Track back to each of those sites and go to their manager or lost property bureau and ask whether a passport has been handed in. , If you haven't found it yet, it's normal to start to feel worried.
Panicking won't change the reality of the situation, however, and you still need to think clearly. , This is usually required for both replacement purposes and for any insurance claims for any other items stolen or lost at the same time as your passport.
Take along a friend or someone whom you can trust to interpret for you if you don't speak the same language as the country in which you're filing the report.
Take along photocopies of the passport (yes, you should have these!) and any other identifying information you still have with you.
Always get a copy of the police report.
If it looks half-baked (some countries don't have very official-looking reports), ask for the name of the station and phone number to be typed or written and initialed onto it, at a minimum.
This is important if you are making an insurance claim. , The rules on these will depend entirely on your country.
Turn up to your country's embassy or commission (in some countries, you might need to go to another country's mission that holds the authority for your country).
Explain what has happened and ask for a replacement passport.
Again, take along any identification and copies of originals that you do have on you.
Follow their instructions.
Let them know if you need any other assistance, such as financial, medical, etc. and follow their prompts.
Get a proper passport as soon as required.
Emergency replacement passports tend not to have a long duration, so be sure to apply for a new, proper one as soon as it is convenient to do so. , Ask your own embassy first, as they will probably know best.
Then, visit the relevant immigration department of the country you are in, taking along anything that your own embassy has provided you with to substantiate your claim. , Whenever you travel, always keep photocopies of important documents, traveler's check serial numbers, credit card numbers, etc., in a completely different part of your luggage from your real documentation and cards.
Make copies of your passport and visas, driver's license, any photo ID you're relying on, traveler's check serial numbers, credit card numbers, receipts and confirmations for all pre-booked services, contact details of people you travel and stay with, travel insurance, resume and any letters of referral if job-seeking, bank account numbers if relevant, phone numbers of people back home.
Make use of cloud computing or your email to store quickly retrievable copies too; this can be excellent for when you don't want to carry around photocopies but you do need internet access, so don't rely on this as the only method of making copies.
You can also leave copies of all these things in a folder at home with family or a best friend, who can email or fax through details if needed.
About the Author
Kathleen Wilson
Writer and educator with a focus on practical home improvement knowledge.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: