So you lose your passport.
I’ve been in this situation a couple of times, and both times the stress level I encountered was pretty high.
I mean, there have been other stressful situations (like a debit card lost in an ATM, for example…), but my strong relationship with my passport enhanced my stress.
The first time that my passport decided to elude me was when I was still in my home country and was scheduled to depart for my study abroad program in France on the following Tuesday.
Due to about a thousand factors outside of my control, the French embassy had to reissue our group study visa and sent all of the passports back to my professor. My professor, in turn, mailed out my passport… insured and not priority.
So my passport took the opportunity to liberate itself.
On Monday, my passport still didn’t materialize, and was still untraceable (as a hint – always, always, always send important documents via priority mail. You can’t insure an identity). My professor couldn’t do anything, as she was already in Paris.
In the midst of my panic, my (wonderful, understanding, and incredible) parents offered to drive my down to Philadelphia at early o’clock in the morning to get a new passport.
I spent most of Monday on the phone with the airline (… please let me change my flight departure location!), the Department of State (… please let me have a new passport!), and anyone else who was willing to listen to my sordid tale (… please let me go to Paris!).
It turns out that you can, in fact, get a passport the same day as a trip. It only cost me an additional $57 on top of the fee for a new passport, and eternal gratitude to my parents.
Side note – the snot of a passport did materialize in Boston during our trip down to Philly. You win this time, passport.
The other time my passport went missing was only for a couple of days when I was living in Korea. I had brought it to work (I was required to) and one of my coworkers accidentally took it home with them.
I tore apart my desk, my house, and my purse to find it, and was about to give up all hope before he found it. The relief I felt was significant.
Had I not found my passport, I would have done the following things:
1. Check a million times for your passport whilst continuing to breathe.
I know you probably have already checked a million times, but unless it was forcibly taken from you, just check one more time (and yes, breathe).
2. File a police report if your passport was stolen.
If you simply lose your passport, you don’t have to do this. However, filing a police report is a necessary step if you are a victim of a crime.
3. Contact the local U.S. consulate or your home country’s consulate/embassy (if you are abroad) or the local passport issuing facility (if you are still in your home country).
The U.S. Department of State has a phone number you can call to report your passport as lost or stolen, but they do secretly wish for you to just take care of everything online (1-877-487-2778).
However, if you are abroad, contact your local U.S. consulate (you know, one of the places you already researched before leaving home?)
The process for reporting your passport as stolen can be completed online here.
There are different rules for how to apply for a new passport depending on your needs – if you are in the U.S. and are traveling internationally within 2 weeks, you are required to apply in-person at one of their passport agencies (not the same as passport application acceptance facilities).
If you are in the U.S. and do not have international travel plans in the next two weeks, you can submit your application at one of the acceptance facilities near you.
If you are abroad and immediately need a new passport, you will go to your nearest U.S. consulate and present all of the documents you need (this information can be found on individual consulate websites).
4. Apply for a new passport.
You will need to complete two documents for a new U.S. passport (there are options to complete these online and then print them as well):
And yes, you will have to pay for your brand new passport.
It will not be free, despite you wishing it was because of the huge amount of stress you are under.
It will not be cheap, either.
You have been warned.
The emergency passport from the U.S. looks like a passport and smells like a passport, but usually has limited validity (like one year).
You can get a real passport after returning home for no additional charge (since you’ve already paid quite a bit).
5. Update your new passport information with your emergency contact, school, travel provider, the STEP Program, and anyone else who needs it.
Remember that time when you shared your passport information with a lot of people? Now you get to do that again!
Having copies of your passport as well as having copies spread throughout your network of trusted individuals is extremely helpful in the event that you lose your passport again (or lose your mind, to be fair).
If you had a visa in your passport, make sure to contact the local immigration office reporting the theft/loss so that you can either transfer the visa or obtain a new one.
You are not the only one who has ever lost a passport or a visa. Remember that.
In order to make this stressful situation moderately less stressful, here are some things you can do to prepare yourself before leaving for any trip:
- Have a hard copy and a digital copy of your passport (I have a picture stored on my phone, a scan saved in my email, a scan with my emergency contact, and a hard copy that I carry with me). These make your life easier if you lose your passport.
- Register for the STEP Program with the U.S. Department of State or the equivalent for your country (so they have a record of you being in the country, as well as your information handy). I have loved and used this program since 2009 and encourage everyone to do the same!
- When traveling in the country you are visiting, secure your valuables either in a locked safe, or with a heavy lock (some smaller locks are not as secure). Carry an alternate form of identification or a copy of your passport with you instead of your passport.
- Have the contact information for your local U.S. consulate (or your home country), emergency number, and your local contacts.
Have you lost your passport? How did you get back on track?
Related Posts:
What to Do During an Emergency Abroad
11 Things You Need to Research Before Traveling
Why Travel with an Emergency Cash Stash
Websites You Should Know for Study Abroad
Why You Should Use the STEP Program