Lost or Stolen Passport Abroad

If you lose your passport abroad, you need to get a new one before returning to the United States.

Report your lost or stolen passport immediately to protect yourself from identity theft.

You can report your passport lost or stolen using our online form filler. When reporting online, we cancel your passport within 1 business day. We will send you a confirmation email after it is canceled.

After you report your passport lost or stolen, it’s not valid for international travel. Your next foreign destination may deny your entry if you try to use that passport, or they might not allow you to leave if you are already abroad. To travel after losing your passport, apply for a new one at a U.S. embassy or consulate.  

Police Report 

Police reports are not mandatory but can help confirm the circumstances of the loss or theft. 

Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for help.

You will have to appear in person at the U.S. embassy or consulate to apply for a new passport. If you are scheduled to travel soon, please give the consular staff the details of your trip. We will make every effort to assist you quickly. 

If there isn’t enough time to receive your regular passport, the consular section can offer you an emergency passport. This passport may be valid for up to 1 year.

Please bring with you to the embassy or consulate:

• One passport photo 2x2 in or 5x5 cm. Get it in advance to speed up the process of replacing your passport.
• Identification such as a driver's license or expired passport.
• Proof of U.S. citizenship like a birth certificate or a photocopy of your missing passport.
• Travel itinerary from your airline or train tickets.
• DS-11 Application for Passport
  • Provide detailed information about where and when your most recent passport was lost or stolen.
  • Provide a copy of the police report if you filed one at the time the passport was lost or stolen.
    
  • Include all relevant details in the space provided on Form DS-11. If you need more space to provide details, include another sheet of paper. 
  • If you do not provide all this information on Form DS-11, we may pause your application and ask you to submit Form DS-64.
• Passport fees

Even if you cannot present all these documents, consular staff will do their best to help you get a new passport quickly.  

Validity of replaced passports 

Full-validity passports last 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16 years old. 

If you have urgent travel, you can get a limited-validity emergency passport. It is valid for up to 1 year. You can exchange it for a full-validity passport after your trip. You might also get a limited passport if you lost several passports or if you borrowed money from the State Department for your trip home. A consular officer can provide more information based on your situation.

Replacement fees for lost or stolen passports abroad 

Replacement passports generally cost the same as any other passport.

• If you can’t pay for a new passport, review our details on emergency financial assistance for U.S. citizens abroad. This page also covers how to send money to a U.S. citizen in an emergency.
• If you can’t show proof of U.S. citizenship, like a birth certificate or a photocopy of your lost passport while traveling abroad, you may ask for a free file search. This can help you get an emergency passport.  
• If you’re a victim of a serious crime or disaster, you may qualify for a free emergency passport if you can’t pay for one. This passport has limited validity. If you want a full-validity passport, the regular fee applies for replacements. 

Replacement passport requests: weekends or holidays 

Most U.S. embassies and consulates cannot issue passports on weekends or holidays. All U.S. embassies and consulates have after-hours duty officers. They are available to assist with life-or-death emergencies of U.S. citizens abroad. 

Contact the U.S. embassy or consulate after-hours duty officer for help. Do this if you have an emergency, need to travel, or have been the victim of a serious crime.

In most cases, a replacement passport will be issued the next business day.