Lost a US Passport Overseas? What I learned this trip.

I had the bad fortune of losing my passport in Belgium this trip so I thought I’d share what I noticed about the process. First, i reported the passport lost at the train station. I lost it on the train. In Belgium, the station was really too busy to help besides filling out a form. I then called the US Embassy, It was a Saturday night, but the Embassy has a emergency operator on duty to take my info. She took my info and told me to go to the Consulate on Monday during business hours and she’d send them a message that I was coming. I think it’s a good idea to call ahead even if you lost your passport during business hours. These days the US Embassy and consulates are guarded blocks away and they seem to check that I phoned ahead. If you’ve had your Passport stolen, go to the local police and fill out a report beforehand. For a lost Passport, the Consulate said that was up to the person If they wanted to report it to the local police, but they  didn’t require it. Also, if you have time to get them, bring passport photos. The Consulate has a list on places that follow their expectations. The rest of the process is pretty easy. Pay a $135 fee and  fill out a form. You will get a one year limited  passport . I got mine in twenty minutes  after being seen .They also give you a form to fill out once you get home so you can exchange the limited passport for a regular passport for free. The only reason they time limit it is because the regular passports have security features the Embassy can’t reproduce.

 

Hope this eases some minds on how quick the process is. It’s stressful enough losing your passport.

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9 years ago

I appreciate reading this because I have always wanted to know what to do if I lose my passport. I always carry with me extra passport photos and a photocopies of my passport. Glad to know they could come in handy.

 

 

9 years ago

I send an email to myself with a scan of all my travel documents, tickets and passports.

Then even if I lose the lot I can soon get a copy.

9 years ago

i believe that we should make a copy of our passport and bring some photos (passport size) before departure. It will be really useful in the case we lost our passport. This is my travel experience whilst working as travel consultant in Vietnam.

9 years ago

I’m glad to hear the process worked so well.  But I am surprised, for some reason, that they charged you for it.  I wish you’d reported that it was as straightforward as you said and also that it’s a service that comes with having paid for your passport already.  Oh, well.

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9 years ago

I like HistoryDigger’s idea of carrying extra passport-sized photos…even if you don’t lose your passport, you may find them useful if you need them for a transit pass (as in Paris, for the Navigo). We also carry color copies of the ID page of our passports; in case of loss or theft it may help identify you at the consulate.

9 years ago

Well, this I think is nearly everyone’s worst nightmare, but glad to know it is a pretty efficient process in case it does happen.

 

Making a mental note to add telephone numbers of the US Consulate to my travel documents.  Only 32 more days until I set off…!

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