A Lost Passport can be tricky situation because it can quickly cut short any holiday plans and it can be an extra burden to bear as you have to get another passport and pay out all the costs associated with it. If you live in the US and you lose or have your passport stolen at home then the situation is simple to resolve, but if it’s lost in a foreign country then things become much more difficult.
If you lose your passport at home, and the passport is still valid then you will have to report the passport as missing by filling out a DS-64 form here. This will make sure that nobody can take advantage of your lost passport by stealing your identity. If your passport is invalid (out of date) then you don’t have to report it as missing.
Once you have reported your lost passport, you apply for a new one in the usual manner. If you are traveling within 2 weeks you will need to apply at one of the regional passport processing offices. If you have plenty of time your application can be sent to the Passport Application Acceptance Facility – find the one closest to your home on the US Gov. website here.
Things aren’t so simple if it’s a lost passport situation whilst you’re abroad. The first course of action is to report the loss of your passport to the United States embassy in the country you’re traveling in. You will need to fill out a temporary passport application form which will cover you until you return home.
This process has become much more complicated ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks as embassies are now unable to issue citizens with full passports. You can make the process easier if you make a Xerox copy of your passport to take on vacation with you. If you are on a package tour, your vacation Rep will be able to guide, otherwise, the US Gov. website will have lists of embassies.
Once home, you replace your lost passport in the manner prescribed above.
Top photo: weheartit.com
