What To Do If You Lose Your Passport In Another Country
If you lose your passport in another country, don’t panic. It is clear that this is a very unpleasant incident and that you are going to have to change your plans, at least in the short term. However, you are neither the first nor will you be the last to experience an accident like this. And of course there are ways to fix it.
The important thing, in any case, is that you don’t lose your cool. There is always something that can be done, and the only relevant thing is that you record in your mind, at least, the first step. The rest will flow, because this is not a strange situation for the consulates and they will be able to guide you.
It is always highly recommended that you carry a copy of all your documents. It is best to have a physical copy and a digital one. These will not supply your identity documents, but they can be of great help in the procedures. It costs you nothing to carry an updated copy of all of it. It’s worth it.
The steps you must follow if you lose your passport
If you lose your passport, you basically have to focus on taking two actions. The first thing you should do is file a complaint with the competent authorities. This is essential so that they do not use your document fraudulently and because they will ask you for this report everywhere.
If you are in a city, surely you will not have problems locating the authorities. Generally it is the local police or some dependency of this one. If you are in a secluded place, you must locate the nearest police station and go there. Give priority to that process.
The second step is to go to the closest consulate in your country. This is the entity in charge of processing a solution. It is always convenient to have the consulate data in advance, otherwise this can be a problem.
If for some reason you cannot connect to the Internet, or cannot find someone to inform you, this could unnecessarily delay the management.
The procedure before the consulate
If you lose your passport, the first thing they will ask for at the consulate is the complaint you filed. Without that role, they will not continue with the management. Additionally, they will ask you for an identity document, which can be your ID or driving license. That’s when a copy can be of great help.
If you don’t have any of this, you will have to ask someone for an affidavit that you are who you say you are. This cannot be done by just anyone. It has to be someone of your same nationality, who does have their documents in order.
Now, if you don’t have any of this, in the best of cases they will give you a pass so that you can leave the country in 24 hours. If everything is in order, they will give you a provisional or definitive passport. Each of them has a different price.
Better if you don’t lose your passport
There are some other cases that are more complicated. For example, if you lose your passport before going through immigration, the only option is to call the consulate. If a consul wants to go to the airport to assist you, fine. If not, they’ll put you on the next plane back home.
The problem is that the American visa, in particular, carries many requirements. So, you will probably have to go through the famous waiting rooms many times, before they let you enter the United States. Americans always make sure that you really are who you say you are.
The best thing then, is not to lose your passport. How to do it? Don’t take it everywhere. The most advisable thing is to leave it in the hotel safe and use an alternative document to go outside. It is always better to keep the passport separate from the money, it is a way to protect it in case of theft.
With the right measures, you will avoid many headaches and, above all, end up ruining the trip. But, in any case, you already know that, even if you lose your passport, it has a solution.
