So you have left your country to further continue your studies abroad or vacation your travel. Finally, you reach there, spending most of the time on a beach, having dinner in a five-star restaurant, or catching up with your best buddy. But, then you smell a missing document, and it came out to be a passport.
Now, you’re left with nothing but in a state of utter shock and panic. The dreams of travelling around, observing peace, or studying abroad get shattered. However, with these steps, you can escape from the panic state and reach your home safely.
Now, you might have searched all over the places, where you have been last. But, nothing to avail. Take a deep breath.
Reach out to your nearest local police station and lodge a complaint. Inform them briefly about the incident whether you have lost or someone stolen your passport.
If you are unable to go physically for any reason, you can file a report online as well. Make sure to complete an LSO1 form to file a report against your passport. A police report will help you to recover your lost passport or save it from getting it misused. With that said, your application will also be considered so they may issue an emergency travel document.
Get to your nearest embassy or consulate after lodging a report. Tell them about the dates you’re leaving the country, and that you have been a victim of crime. If the dates are recent, you might be awarded an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) with a limited validity or a full validity.
Locating to the embassy can be a great idea, as you can check if your application is in accepted ETD’s or not. However, if you can’t find your name, don’t fret, the embassy will inform you who can process your application at the earliest.
To boost up the passport replacement process, you need to arrange a passport-sized photo. You can find a sea of online resources on the internet. Give a try at an online passport photo tool, print them and submit them along with your application.
You may also order your passport photo online for added convenience.
Now, fill the additional form for your replacement passport, in which you have to describe what happened with your passport. Also, keep in mind when you have filled the form, you are no longer eligible to travel with an old passport. That said, the cost of the form is around 100 Euros, which you may claim back with the right travel insurance policies.
Here’s what you need to submit documents along the form:
Congratulations! You can expect your replacement passport on the day of appointment. Also, note that if you change your travel plans, you’ll have to buy another one. On an Emergency Travel Document, you can pay a visit to upto 5 countries.
Keep in mind, visa rules might have changed for you now, as every country has different rules and policies to comply with. Here’s another thing you need to know. Unfortunately, Consulates or embassies can’t issue replacement passports on weekends unless you are experiencing a life threatening situation.
That’s it! We understand losing or having a stolen passport is more than an unpleasant surprise, and nobody wants to go through it. It is advisable to strictly guard your documents to save you from any uncertainty, especially when you are naïve in abroad countries. However, with these steps, you can expect an Emergency Travel Document and revive the things for yourself.