What to do if you lose your passport abroad, step by step

You reach for your bag at the café, the station or the hotel desk and it is not there. Your passport is gone, and with it your way home. It is a bad feeling, but it is also one of the most common things that go wrong on a trip, and there is a well-worn route out.

This guide covers what to do, in order, and what to prepare before you leave so that the worst day of your trip is a nuisance and not a disaster.

First, check properly

Before you start any process, take ten minutes to look. Retrace your steps, check every pocket and bag, ask at the last place you were and at your accommodation. Passports turn up in jacket linings, in a friend's bag and at hotel receptions more often than you would expect.

If you are travelling with other people, ask them as well. A group is good at losing small things and finding them again.

If it is stolen, report it

If it was taken, or you think it might have been, go to the local police and report it. Do this even if you think they will not recover it. You will almost certainly need a police report to get a replacement, and your insurance will want it for any claim.

• Ask for a written copy of the report, with the date and a reference number.
• Make a note of the officer's name and the station.
• If you do not speak the language, ask your accommodation or the nearest tourist information office to help you find the right place and translate.

If you have lost it rather than had it stolen, you can still report it to the police in many countries, and it is worth asking whether they need to issue a report.

Contact your embassy or consulate

Your own country's embassy or consulate abroad is the office that deals with this. Find it on your government's official website, not through a search result or a third-party service. Most have an emergency line for out-of-hours calls.

Call or email them as soon as you can, and tell them:

• Your full name, date of birth and nationality
• The passport number if you have it, which is why a copy matters
• When and where you lost it, and whether the police are involved
• Your travel dates and when you need to be home

They will explain the options. Usually this is a replacement passport or a limited, emergency document that lets you travel home or on to your next stop. What exactly is available, how long it takes and what it costs depends on your country, so ask. The process can need photographs, a form and proof of identity, so ask what to bring before you go.

If your passport has a visa or residence stamp in it, or you are due to cross a border, tell them that too. It may affect what kind of document is right for you.

Gather what proves who you are

The embassy will ask for evidence of who you are. Bring whatever you have:

• A photocopy or photo of the lost passport, which is the single most useful thing
• Another form of photo ID, such as a driving licence or national ID card
• The police report
• Passport photographs, if they ask for them.
• Proof of your travel plans, such as tickets and booking confirmations
• Your birth certificate or similar, if you have a way to get a copy

If you do not have a copy, a friend or relative at home may be able to find one for you and send it. A family member who can look in a drawer is surprisingly useful.

Tell the people who need to know

Once the paperwork has started, tell:

• Your airline. Explain that you are replacing your document and ask if your tickets can be changed if the timing moves.
• Your accommodation. You may need to extend, and they can help with printing and phone calls.
• Your insurer. Travel insurance often covers costs linked to a lost passport, such as the replacement, a taxi to the embassy or a few extra nights. Check your policy before you spend, and keep every receipt. Our piece on travel insurance explained covers what to look for.
• The people you are travelling with, so the plan changes together.

If your passport had a visa or any local registration attached, ask the relevant office what to do about it.

Keep the trip moving

A lost passport will cost you time, but it does not have to cost you the whole trip. While the replacement is being sorted:

• Keep the rest of the plan if you can. Many things you want to do do not need a passport.
• Move bookings that need ID. Hotels in some countries ask to see a passport at check-in; carry the police report and a copy and explain.
• Be patient with the embassy. Opening hours and local holidays affect timing.

This is a good moment to look at the whole plan in one place and see what depends on what. If your bookings are scattered across email, a shared itinerary helps; our article on planning a trip together shows how to keep them in one place.

Prepare before you leave

Almost everything above gets easier if you do three things at home.

1. Copy your passport. Photograph the photo page and keep a copy in your email, in a cloud folder and on paper, apart from the passport itself. Leave one with someone at home.
2. Keep it safe. Carry your passport in an inside pocket or a travel pouch rather than in a back pocket or open bag. When it is not needed, leave it locked in your room or a safe. Use a photocopy for everyday ID where you can.
3. Know where your embassy is. Before you go, save the address and emergency number of your country's embassy or consulate at the destination, and put them somewhere you can reach without signal.

Also check the expiry date before you book. Many countries ask that your passport is valid for a period beyond your stay, and some ask for blank pages. These rules vary, so check the official government site of your destination and your own government's travel advice.

A short list for the day it happens

1. Look properly, and ask the people you were with.
2. Report it to the local police and get a written copy.
3. Contact your embassy or consulate through its official page.
4. Gather your ID, copy of the passport and photographs.
5. Tell your airline, accommodation and insurer.
6. Keep every receipt.

Then get on with the trip

Most people who lose a passport are home on schedule or close to it, and the story gets better with time. If you are heading somewhere you need to plan with care, such as Peru, where you may move through several regions and need your passport at several points, make the copies before you leave, and keep one with your trip plan.