Losing a passport abroad can disrupt a trip quickly, but the next steps are straightforward: confirm it is missing, report it, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and prepare for an in-person replacement application.
Do not plan to fly internationally using a photocopy or a photo on your phone. Once a passport is reported lost or stolen, the State Department cancels it. Even if you later find it, it is no longer valid for travel.
If your departure is close, tell consular staff your exact itinerary immediately. They can decide whether there is enough time for a regular replacement or whether your circumstances qualify for a limited-validity emergency passport.
Do this first
- Search once, methodically. Check the hotel safe, bags, jacket pockets, transportation and the last place where you showed the document. Ask the hotel or carrier's lost-property office.
- Report theft locally when appropriate. A police report is not mandatory for the U.S. replacement process, but it can document the circumstances for insurance, local authorities or the consular officer.
- Report the passport to the State Department. The online reporting process generally cancels it within one business day. Reporting protects against misuse but also makes the document permanently invalid.
- Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. You must normally appear in person to apply for the replacement. Use the official embassy website for its appointment and after-hours instructions.
Bring these documents
The State Department recommends bringing one passport photo measuring 2 by 2 inches, or 5 by 5 centimeters; identification such as a driver's license or expired passport; proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or photocopy of the missing passport; and your airline or train itinerary.
You will also complete Form DS-11 and explain where and when the passport was lost or stolen. Bring a police report if you filed one and expect to pay the normal passport fee unless a specific waiver or emergency-assistance rule applies.
Missing one item does not mean you should wait to contact the embassy. Consular staff may be able to verify citizenship through passport records and can explain alternatives based on the documents you still have.
What an emergency passport does
If urgent travel leaves too little time for a full-validity passport, a consular section may issue a limited-validity emergency passport. State Department guidance says these passports can be valid for up to one year and are intended to help a U.S. citizen continue urgent travel or return home.
Acceptance is not universal. Some countries may not accept a limited-validity document for entry or transit, so confirm every remaining stop with the embassy and the airline before leaving.
After the trip, follow the letter issued with the emergency passport to replace it with a full-validity passport. Depending on when and why it was issued, a fee-free exchange may be available within a specified period.
Weekends, holidays and emergencies
Most embassies and consulates cannot issue passports on weekends or holidays. They do maintain after-hours duty officers for life-or-death emergencies and serious crimes, but routine replacement may have to wait until the next business day.
If you cannot reach the local post during an emergency, the State Department lists +1-202-501-4444 for calls from overseas and 1-888-407-4747 from the United States or Canada.
Prepare before the next trip
Keep a secure digital copy of the passport's identification page and leave a separate copy with a trusted contact. Store the copy separately from the physical passport, record the nearest embassy details, and avoid carrying every form of identification in the same bag.
A copy cannot replace the passport at the airport, but it can give consular staff the document number and citizenship information needed to move the replacement process forward.
