Lost Or Stolen Passport Tips
Your passport is very important. Securing your passport especially when you are on a trip is essential. A US passport is highly valued so make sure that yours is in a safe place all the time. Having your passport stolen or losing it is just one of the problems you will have. Many other things might happen if your passport went to the wrong hands. You must avoid risking your passport to be lost or stolen at all cost. Don`t place then in exposed pockets, checked in luggage and one person shouldn`t carry all passports of the entire group.
But sometimes things just happen. So what are the things that you must do when you lost your passport or it was stolen? Losing your passport on a trip might ruin your entire trip, but still there are some things that you can do to avoid the hassle.
Prepare For The Worst
When travelling, expect the unexpected. You should prepare for the things that might happen along the way. Before leaving home, you must make two copies of your passport identification page. Leave one of the copies at home or with a friend or relative. You should keep the other copy with you but not in the same place where you keep your passport. Scan the identification page of your passport and send it to your email so you will be able to access it anytime, anywhere. You should keep a recent passport picture of you and an ID picture in standard size. These are the things that you will need in to speed up the replacement of your passport.
Report To The Authority
When you realize that your passport is lost or stolen, the first thing you need to do is to report it to the authorities; the US Embassy or consulate. They will ask you to fill out a DS-11 form which is a standard passport application. If your passport is still valid they will also ask you to fill out a lost or stolen report form which is the DS-64 form. This is where the things you prepared comes in handy since you will be able to fill out the form more efficiently by just copying the information from the photocopy of your passport identification page.
You can also report your loss or stolen passport online. Electronically, you can submit the DS-64 form that you fill out online. Once you have already submitted your form, you will receive an email acknowledging the receipt of your request. You will again receive an email confirming that your passport has already been entered in the Consular Lost and Stolen Database two days later.
Other Ways To Report A Lost Or Stolen Passport
There are also other ways to report your lost and stolen passport. You can call the National Passport Information Support for assistance if you are within the State, but if you are outside the country you can contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate.
Important Reminders
After you report that your passport is lost or stolen, your passport will be invalidated and can no longer be used for travel.
There is an address listed at the back of the form DS-64. In case you recovered your passport, you submit it to the address that was listed there. If you wanted to have it back then they will give it back to you but if not then it will be destroyed.
Using a reported stolen or lost passport for passport renewal application is not allowed. It also cannot be revalidated.
When traveling to another country, make sure that you got a list of contact numbers of the US Embassy and consulate. Try to get their address as well so it would be easy for you once time of need comes. There are money bags for traveling that you can buy and some travel companies provide it free for their clients. This can be very helpful in safe keeping your passport and other important documents and items. You must at all times make sure that your passport is safe. It is much better than going through the hassle of reporting it was lost or stolen, even though you are ready for situations like that.
