Immediate recovery order
- Move to a safe place and check whether your wallet, phone, cards or other documents are also missing.
- Find the official embassy or consulate for the country that issued your passport.
- Report the passport lost or stolen using that government's required process.
- Ask whether local police documentation is required or useful.
- Apply for the replacement passport or emergency travel document the consulate recommends.
Do not try to use a cancelled passport
Once an authority records a passport as lost or stolen, it may be cancelled and remain invalid even if you later find it. Ask the issuing authority what to do with a recovered document.
1. Contact the correct embassy or consulate
Use your government's official foreign-affairs or passport website to locate the nearest embassy, consulate or emergency helpline. Avoid relying on an advertisement or an unofficial “passport recovery” service. Explain your location, nationality, whether the passport was lost or stolen, and the date of your next booked journey.
Consular offices may have limited hours and not every office can issue an emergency document. Canada's official travel guidance warns that emergency passport services are not available at every office abroad, so be prepared to travel to another city or change bookings.
2. Report the loss or theft
Follow the issuing country's procedure promptly so the missing passport can be cancelled or flagged against misuse. Police-report rules differ: the US says a police report is not mandatory for its replacement process but may help confirm circumstances, while other issuers or insurance claims may require one. If the passport was stolen, report the crime locally when safe to do so and request a written report if possible.
3. Gather what the consulate may request
| Useful item | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Passport copy, passport number or old passport | Helps identify the missing document and confirm identity. |
| Other photo identification | Supports identity checks. |
| Citizenship evidence or access to someone who can provide it | May support the replacement application. |
| Compliant passport photos | Often needed for the new document. |
| Police report, when requested or available | May support the application and insurance claim. |
| Flight, train or travel itinerary | Shows urgency and intended route. |
| Payment method | Replacement or emergency document fees may apply. |
4. Understand emergency travel documents
An emergency passport or travel document may be limited in validity, route or permitted destinations. The UK describes its emergency travel document as an option for urgent travel abroad when a valid British passport cannot be used. The US says an emergency passport issued abroad may be valid for up to one year. Rules differ by issuer.
Before booking or changing a route, confirm that every destination and transit country will accept the replacement document. Also check with the airline or transport company, which may apply its own document checks.
5. Protect the rest of your trip
- Cancel missing payment cards and secure a lost phone immediately.
- Tell the airline, accommodation and travel insurer if bookings must change.
- Keep copies of the police report, consular correspondence and receipts.
- Check whether a lost visa, residence permit or entry record also needs replacement.
- Do not hand original replacement documents to unofficial agents.
Prepare before future travel
- Keep a secure copy or photo of the passport identity page separate from the passport.
- Record the passport number and official consular contact details.
- Leave an itinerary and document copy with someone you trust.
- Carry a backup payment method separately.
- Check travel insurance coverage for document replacement and interrupted travel.