Lost your passport abroad? What to do, step by step.

Step 1: Search properly and check lost property

Before you start the official process, check the places a passport most often turns up: the hotel safe and front desk, the bag you used at the airport, the car hire office and the last place you had to show ID.

Ask the hotel, airport, airline, and any venue you visited for their lost property. Some venues publish found items online. Venues using vFound have their own searchable lost and found page where you can check found items and submit a private claim, and documents like passports are only released after identity checks.

Step 2: Report the loss to local police if required

Many embassies and passport authorities ask for a police report, especially if the passport was stolen, and travel insurers usually want one for a claim. Go to the nearest police station, explain what happened and ask for a written report or reference number. If the language is a barrier, your hotel or the embassy can often point you to a station used to helping visitors.

Step 3: Contact your nearest embassy or consulate

Your country’s embassy or consulate can usually issue an emergency travel document or an emergency passport so you can travel home or continue your trip. Find the nearest one through your government’s official foreign affairs or travel website, and check whether you need an appointment.

Tell them your travel dates. An emergency document may only be valid for a specific journey, and some countries you plan to enter may not accept it, so check before booking onward travel.

Step 4: Report the passport lost or stolen so it’s cancelled

Reporting the passport to your passport authority cancels it, which protects you if someone tries to use it. Some countries let you do this online; others handle it through the embassy when you apply for a replacement.

Once a passport is reported lost or stolen it’s usually cancelled for good, even if you find it later. Don’t try to travel on it. Tell the authority if it turns up.

What to bring to the embassy or consulate

Requirements vary, so confirm them on your government’s official site before you go. Commonly requested items include:

• The police report or reference number, if you have one.
• Passport photos that meet your country’s rules.
• Any other ID you have, plus a photo or copy of the lost passport if you saved one.
• Proof of travel plans, such as your flight booking.
• A way to pay the application fee.