Lost or stolen passport: what to do

What to do first

1. Cancel it as soon as you can. That stops anyone else using it. Once it's cancelled you can't travel on it, even if it turns up.
2. If it was stolen abroad, report it to the local police and ask for a copy of the report. Ireland and New Zealand need one before they'll issue an emergency document, and you'll want it for an insurance claim.
3. Contact your embassy or consulate. They can give you an emergency document to get home, or help you apply for a new passport.
4. Apply again for your travel permits. Most, like the ESTA and UK ETA, are linked to the old passport number.

Emergency documents by passport

An emergency document is for getting home, not for carrying on your trip. Each government has its own.

Lost or stolen US passport

Cancel it

Report it online with form DS-64 and the State Department cancels it within 1 business day. If you're abroad, you can instead give the details on form DS-11 when you apply for a new passport at a US embassy or consulate. Don't report an expired passport. Report a lost or stolen US passport

Get home: emergency passport

If there isn't time for a regular passport, the embassy or consulate can give you an emergency passport, usually the next business day. You apply in person. It has a purple cover and is meant to get you back to the USA quickly. Some countries may not accept it. It can be free if you are the victim of a serious crime or disaster and can't pay. Within a year you can swap it for a full passport, in some cases for free. Lost or stolen passport abroad

Replace it

You can apply for a full 10-year passport (5 years for under-16s) in person at a US embassy or consulate on form DS-11. A police report isn't required, but bring one if you have it. A photocopy of the missing passport counts as proof of citizenship.

• Once reported, your passport is cancelled for good, even if you find it. If you try to use it, you may be refused entry or stopped from leaving. Return it to a US embassy or passport agency.
• The State Department suggests making copies of your travel documents and taking photos of them on your phone, and enrolling in its free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) before you go. Enrol in STEP

Lost or stolen UK passport

Cancel it

Cancel it online on GOV.UK as soon as you can. If you're abroad and apply for an emergency travel document, that application cancels your passport for you. There's also a paper form, LS01, that you can take or send to the nearest British embassy. Cancel a lost or stolen UK passport

Get home: emergency travel document

Apply online if you need to travel within 6 weeks and can't renew or replace your passport from abroad in time. It's usually ready to collect 2 working days after you apply, but can take longer, for example for a child under 16. Check the countries on your route accept it before you apply, and don't book travel until you're told when you can collect it. If your plans change, you pay £125 again. UK border control keeps it when you arrive. Apply for an emergency travel document

Replace it

You can apply for a new passport from abroad online. Cancel the lost one first. Overseas fees are different from UK fees. Apply for a passport from abroad

• If it was stolen abroad, report it to the local police and ask for a statement or crime report. You may need it for an insurance claim.
• A cancelled passport must never be used again. If you find it, send it back to HM Passport Office.
• GOV.UK suggests keeping a backup of your passport details. A photo or photocopy also helps you answer the questions when you cancel it.

Lost or stolen Irish passport

Cancel it

The fastest way to report it is to apply for a new passport straight away on Passport Online, which works from anywhere in the world. If you're not applying for a new one, you need a Garda certificate of loss and a signed letter, posted to the Passport Office in Dublin. Abroad, contact the nearest Irish embassy or consulate. Lost, stolen or damaged Irish passports

Get home: emergency travel document

An Irish embassy or consulate can give you an emergency travel document to get you home. You'll need a police report: the Department of Foreign Affairs won't issue a new travel document without one. Embassies also ask for two passport photos, proof of your journey home, proof of identity or citizenship and the fee. Lost or stolen passport abroad

Replace it

Apply on Passport Online from anywhere in the world: €75 for an adult, plus €15 postage if you live outside Ireland. A replacement for a lost or stolen passport needs extra identity checks, so it can take longer. Losing two or more passports may mean you don't get a full 10-year passport. Passport Online

• Once reported, your passport's details go to Interpol and it's no longer valid. If you find it, don't travel on it: you may be stopped at a border. Return it to the Passport Service.
• The Department of Foreign Affairs suggests keeping paper and electronic copies of your passport, and emailing yourself a scan. Outside the Common Travel Area, you can register your trip with it before you go. Citizens registration

Lost or stolen Canadian passport

Cancel it

In Canada or the US, call the passport program on 1-800-567-6868 as soon as you can. Abroad, contact the nearest Government of Canada office. You fill in a declaration, form PPTC 203, with your replacement application. Lost or stolen Canadian passports

Get home: emergency travel document or temporary passport

A Government of Canada office abroad can give you an emergency travel document, valid for 1 trip: straight back to Canada, back to the country you live in, or to somewhere with full passport services. For other urgent travel, it may give you a temporary passport, which lasts up to a year and can't be extended. Neither replaces your regular passport, and not every office offers these services. Temporary passports and emergency travel documents

Replace it

You can apply for a new passport through the nearest Government of Canada office abroad. It usually takes 20 business days plus mailing time. If the lost passport was still valid, there's an extra CA$45 fee on top of the passport fee. Apply for a passport abroad

• Once reported, your passport can't be used for travel. If you find it, return it at once to a passport office or the nearest Government of Canada office.
• If it was stolen abroad, ask for a police report if you can. It isn't needed to replace your passport, but it may help with an insurance claim.
• The Government of Canada suggests taking photos of your passport's photo page, leaving your birth or citizenship certificate with someone at home, and registering your trip with Registration of Canadians Abroad. Registration of Canadians Abroad

Lost or stolen Australian passport

Cancel it

In Australia, report it by calling the Australian Passport Office on 131 232. Overseas, contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate. You then explain what happened on form B11. Lost and stolen Australian passports

Get home: emergency passport

An Australian embassy or consulate can issue an emergency passport, which can take up to 2 business days. It has no chip and is generally issued to get you back to Australia. Get a police report first: consulates such as Phuket require one. Wait until you're told it can be issued before you book tickets. Emergency passports

Replace it

You can't renew a lost or stolen passport: you apply for a new one, online or through an embassy or consulate. Allow at least 6 weeks, as priority processing isn't available outside Australia. An adult passport costs A$611 from overseas, including the overseas surcharge.

• Once reported, your passport is cancelled for good, even if you find it later.
• Smartraveller suggests photocopying your passport's photo page and leaving a copy with someone you trust. You don't need to register your trip, but you can subscribe to travel advice updates. Smartraveller updates

Lost or stolen New Zealand passport

Cancel it

Declare it lost or stolen online, or on form PAS201. If you need a new passport straight away, you can declare it in your new passport application instead. If it was still valid, you must report it to the police and include the police reference number. If you're travelling within 2 days, call +64 4 463 9360. Lost or stolen New Zealand passports

Get home: emergency travel document

An emergency travel document gets you back to New Zealand or the country you usually live in. You can only get one outside New Zealand, not every embassy or high commission issues them, and you need a local police report or reference number. Some countries, like the USA, don't accept them, even if you're only changing planes. Send it back to the Passport Office before it expires. It costs more than an urgent passport, so applying online for an urgent passport is often better, even if you travel within 3 days. Urgent travel

Replace it

Apply online from anywhere in the world: NZ$247 for an adult, or NZ$494 for urgent processing within 3 working days, plus courier. Outside New Zealand, only the passport offices in London and Sydney issue passports; embassies don't. Passport costs

• Once declared, your passport is cancelled straight away and Interpol and border authorities are told. If it turns up, return it for cancellation.
• SafeTravel suggests taking copies of your passport and registering your trip before you go. Register with SafeTravel

What happens to your ESTA, ETA and other permits

Online travel permits are linked to the passport you applied with. A new passport, or an emergency one, usually means applying again.

• ESTA (United States): A new passport needs a new ESTA, and you pay the fee again. You can't move an approved ESTA to a new passport.
• UK ETA (United Kingdom): Your ETA is linked to the passport you applied with. If your passport has changed, you need a new ETA.
• Canada eTA (Canada): Your eTA is electronically linked to your passport. If you get a new passport, you need a new eTA.
• Australia ETA (Australia): Your ETA ends when you get a new passport and can't be moved to it. Apply for a new ETA with your new passport.
• NZeTA (New Zealand): You can update your passport details on your existing NZeTA instead of applying again. Ask for the change at least 10 days before you travel. A change of nationality needs a new NZeTA.
• K-ETA (South Korea): A new passport, including one replacing a lost passport, needs a new K-ETA.

To visit the USA on an ESTA, an emergency or temporary passport must be an e-passport, with a chip. If yours isn't, you need a US visa.

A new passport doesn't give you a fresh 90 days in the Schengen area. The EU's Entry/Exit System adds your new passport to your existing record and checks you by your face and fingerprints, so your earlier days still count.

When ETIAS starts, it will work the same way: it's linked to your passport, so a new passport needs a new ETIAS. If you lose your passport while in Europe, your ETIAS is cancelled and you apply again with your new passport or emergency travel document.

A passport you reported lost and then found isn't safe to use. In the Schengen area, border guards are told to seize passports recorded as lost or stolen.

Visas in a lost passport

• A valid US visa in an expired passport still works. Travel with both passports, as long as the visa is still valid and not damaged.
• A US visa in a passport you reported lost or stolen can't be used, even if you find it. You apply again in person at a US embassy or consulate abroad.
• A Korean visa can't be moved to a new passport if the old one was reported lost.

Once you have your new passport, run it through the checker to see which permits to apply for again.

Related guides

• ESTA, ETA, eTA and ETIAS explained
• How long does a passport take?
• New passport: do you need a new ESTA or ETA?
• Damaged passport: can you still travel?