What happens if you lose your passport?

Question

I have a question. My dad and I have US passports. We visited India over my spring break. We almost lost them in Bangalore, but we did retrieve it. What happens if you lose your boarding passes, tickets, licenses, AND passports? How do you retrieve new passports and still get back to the United States? I know you visit the consulate and I know you have to fill out a form, but how often does this happen and how long do you have to wait for new passports?

Answer 1

you are screwed!

Answer 2

You could try a Passport Expediting Agency?

http://www.passport123.com

http://www.trustedpassport.com

http://www.allamericanpassports.com

Answer 3

You get in alot of trouble and George Bush calls your mother

Answer 4

You must first report the loss of the Passport to your nearest

Embassy or Consulate...From there they will hopefully work

things out for you....Remember next time to photocopy the

picture and data page of your passport and keep them in a

safe place...that way The State Department can expedite

your passport replacement..with the help of your folks back

home...be careful next time

Answer 5

I have heard of people leaving an extra passport with their embassy in the country of their travel. Of course, always carry two passports if possible & keep in separate places. Generally if you are a u.s. citizen and you had an emergency situation and you couldn't get a reissued passport or etc. they would retain you until they figured out who you were - or they're supposed to.

Answer 6

Before traveling, you need to make sure that you have copies of your US passports (at least two of each; each person should have copies of both his and the other person he's traveling with) - for ease of reference, I'm using "his."

Leave a copy of the passports at home too, or with a friend you can contact in case you lose your passport and all your copies on your trip.

File a police report immediately.

Go to the nearest US embassy/consulate and let them know you need a new passport.  The embassy/consulate will only provide you with an emergency passport which will be good enough for you to get back to the States.

Here are links below that shows you what to do.

INFORMATION FROM WEBSITE:

Lost or Stolen Passports

In order to protect yourself from identity fraud it is important to report a lost or stolen valid passport immediately!

For Lost or stolen passports Overseas, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate

How to Report and Replace a Lost or Stolen Passport in the U.S.

There are two steps required to get a new passport. First, you must report your valid passport lost or stolen immediately. This is required of anyone who loses or has a passport stolen. The second step is to replace your passport. Both steps and forms required are described below.

To Report a Lost or Stolen Passport:

Complete Statement Regarding Lost or Stolen Passport, Form DS-64

    * Fill in as much of the passport information as you can.

    * Answer all the other questions in detail.

    * Sign and submit above Form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport, to:

      U.S. Department of State

      Passport Services

      Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section

      1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 500

      Washington, DC 20036

Do not mail your new passport application to this address. In order to obtain a new passport you must appear in person at a Passport Agency or Acceptance Facility as outlined below.

Or call us toll free at: 1-877-487-2778 (TTY 1-888-874-7793)

Operators are available 7 a.m. to midnight, ET, Monday-Friday, excluding Federal holidays.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

    * If your still valid passport was lost or stolen, please submit the DS-64 form with the DS-11 application when you apply for a replacement at a Passport Agency or Acceptance Facility. NOTE: You must appear in person.

    * The information you provide on the DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport will be entered in our Consular Lost/Stolen Passport System.

    * Passports reported lost or stolen are invalidated and can no longer be used for travel.

    * If you recover the passport after you have reported it lost or stolen, please submit it to the address listed above. When you submit it, if requested - we will cancel it and return it to you. If not requested, it will be destroyed.

    * Once a passport is reported lost or stolen, it cannot be re-validated.

To Replace a Lost or Stolen Valid Passport:

Complete Application for Passport, Form DS-11

You must appear in person at a Passport Agency or Acceptance Facility.

Complete Question #18 as follows:

    * Write your name as it appeared in your passport.

    * Write the approximate date of issue.

    * Include the passport number if known.

    * Under "DISPOSITION", mark the appropriate box.

    * If your passport was expired, write "EXPIRED" next to the "OTHER" box.

Submit your form:

    * To a passport acceptance facility.

    * You will also need photos, documentation and fees. See How to Apply in Person.

NOTE: If you travel extensively, you may request a larger, 48-page passport at no additional cost. To do so, please attach a signed request for a 48-page passport to your application.

For ANY international trip, you should print out a copy of the addresses for the nearest embassies/consulates.

Please see the links below.

Answer 7

Guard your passport with your life. This is one of the most important documents you will ever have.  Losing this could end up losing your identity.

Answer 8

Ok. Let me tell you my story.  I'm a citizin of UAE.  I lost my passport twice! Once, I lost it in UAE.  I had to file a police report, go through some investigation, and then after I proved that I really needed a passport immediately, a passport was issued.  Normally however, I would have been expected to wait for three full months before a new passport is issued.

The second time, I lost the passport overseas, in the US.  I called my embassy there, and they issued me a "Return Document" to travel with back to UAE.  Once I arrived in UAE, it was taken from me in the airport, and the few coming days were spent in investigations with the police and passport control office.  I came back from the US around June 4th 2007.  Until today Aug 25th 2007 I don't have a passport.  I'm told my passport is found in Washington DC and it is mailed to me, so I guess it is on its way to me.  

I know other people who lost their passport, not very uncommon.

A good idea to keep in mind - Get travel insurance, where an insurance company pays you in case of losing tickets, passports or delayed flights for such reasons.  It was worth it for me.