No matter how careful you are to protect your passport, it is still possible to be stolen or get lost. Imagine that you are going to travel abroad or fly back home from a foreign country only to find that you cannot find your passport. Are you worrying that your trip would be ruined? Can you get back your passport as soon as possible? The good news is that you can obtain a new passport. Please move on to reading this passage, you will learn about how to replace a lost passport.
What to Do If You Lost Your Passport
Losing this essential booklet could be an annoying and troublesome experience whether at home or during a trip. In order to continue your journey, please report the loss and apply for a replacement.
Report the Loss or Theft
In order to prevent forgery and identity theft, the first step you need to do is report the loss to the authority, especially when you are not sure whether it is stolen. The report could be done online, by phone or by mail.
- To report a passport stolen online, please go to the portal of the Bureau of Consular Affairs and choose the “Report Lost or Stolen” feature.
- To report a passport stolen by phone, please call the National Passport Information Centre at 1-877-487-2778.
- To report a passport stolen by mail, please download, fill and sign the Form DS-64 and send it along with a photocopy of a state-issued I.D. (both the front and back) to the address on the form.
Apply for Passport Lost Replacement
Now it’s time to get a new passport. You have to submit Form DS-11 in person and where you submit the application depends on where you are.
Replace Lost Passport in the U.S.
Things are easier for passports lost in the United States. It would take a few weeks to process your application.
If you are going to travel within 9 weeks, you can make an appointment and apply in person at passport agencies and centers that deal with routine or expedited applications by calling 1-877-487-2778.
If you are going to travel in more than 9 weeks, please make an appointment and replace passports at a passport acceptance facility. It could be a post office, clerks of court, passport offices, etc. Use this Passport Acceptance Facility Search Page to find the nearest one.
Replace Lost Passport Abroad
If you lost your passport while out of the United States, you have to obtain a new one before returning home. A passport lost replacement in a foreign country must be replaced in a U.S. embassy or consulate. Just contact and visit the nearest office and submit your application. It is usually set up in the capital or large cities.
Required Documents for Passport Replacement
Before visiting the passport office or embassy, you have to provide proof of US citizenship and identity. The required documents are listed below:
- proof of identity such as a valid driving license, government employee ID card, military ID card, Green Card, etc
- proof of citizenship such as an ID card, birth certificate, photocopy of the photo page of the stolen passport, etc
- air tickets or train tickets (applying abroad)
- filed police report (not mandatory)
- Form DS-11
- Form DS-64
- a passport photo that complies with official requirements
Fulfill Payment
The passport replacement fees include the execution fee paid to the passport acceptance facility and the application fee paid to the U.S. Department of State. For detailed fees, please check the Cost of Passport Lost Replacement. Payment methods including checks and money orders are accepted.
How to Get a Passport Fast
The routine processing time for passport application takes 10-13 weeks. If you are traveling in a short time, you should check the urgent service.
Emergency
This service is open to a life-or-death emergency trip outside the United States within 72 hours on the condition that your immediate family member (parents, legal guardians, children, spouse, sibling, or grandparent) has died, is dying, or is suffering life-threatening diseases or injuries. Call to make an appointment and provide proof of emergency in English (eg. a death certificate, a statement from a mortuary, or a letter from the hospital explaining the patient’s medical condition and signed by a registered doctor), proof of urgent travel (eg. an itinerary or air ticket). Call 1-877-487-2778 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ET) on weekdays. Call 202-647-4000 after 8:00 p.m. (ET) on weekdays, weekends, and federal holidays.
Urgent Travel
If you are traveling abroad within 14 days, please call the acceptance facility at 1-877-487-2778 during office hours (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET from Mondays to Fridays, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. on weekends).
Cost of Passport Lost Replacement
Passport replacement fees are subject to the passport type, processing time and delivery time.
Adults Passport Replacement Fees
| Processing method | Standard processing & standard delivery | Standard processing &1-2 Day Delivery | Expedited Processing &Standard Delivery | Expedited Processing &1-2 Day Delivery | Overseas Processing & Overseas Delivery |
| passport book | $165 | $184.53 | $225 | $244.53 | $165 |
| passport card | $65 | / | $125 | / | $65 |
| passport book & card | $195 | $214.53 | $255 | $274.53 | $195 |
Child Passport Replacement Fees
| Processing method | Standard processing & standard delivery | Standard processing &1-2 Day Delivery | Expedited Processing &Standard Delivery | Expedited Processing &1-2 Day Delivery | Overseas Processing & Overseas Delivery |
| passport book | $135 | $154.53 | $195 | $214.53 | $135 |
| passport card | $50 | / | $110 | / | $50 |
| passport book & card | $150 | $169.53 | $210 | $229.53 | $150 |
Make Passport Photo Online
If you are in the United States, it is convenient to take and print passport photos in retail stores, pharmacies and express stores. However, if you are outside the United States, it’s hard to find a professional photographer that knows the US passport photo requirements well. Here is a useful tool, AiPassportPhotos. It is equipped with US passport photo standards. It will check the uploaded photo compliance and generate a digital version that could be printed out in a physical store. Therefore, you can make a qualified identity photo whenever and wherever you are, which saves time and money compared with visiting a photographer’s house or photo booth.
FAQs: What to Do If You Lost Your Passport
Q: Should I report a passport stolen or lost if it has expired?
A: No because an expired passport is no longer valid and is not allowed to be used for international travel. Just go straight forward to replace the lost passport.
Q: Should I report loss if my passport number was compromised?
A: No. The report should only be made when you lost the original physical passport book or passport card. No one can travel abroad with only a passport number.
Q: What if my child’s passport is lost?
A: Process of passport loss replacement for children goes the same as that for adults.
Q: How long does it take to replace a passport?
A: The routine service takes 10-13 weeks while the expedited service takes 7-9 weeks.
Summary
Passport loss or theft can happen at any time. After reading this passage, we hope you know what to do if you lost your passport. If you are traveling abroad, please contact the local embassy or consulate as soon as possible. They will give instructions on passport loss replacement according to your travel itinerary. If you lost your passport in the United States, contact the passport acceptance facility or passport agencies and centers. Choose the proper service according to your travel plan, so your journey would not be interrupted due to a lost or stolen passport.
Dolores Xiao