What to Do If Your Passport Is Lost or Stolen — Before & During Your Trip (2026)

Losing your passport abroad is one of the most stressful travel emergencies you can face. Most travelers have no plan until it happens — and in that moment, having the wrong information costs you days and significant money. This guide covers exactly what to do before your trip, what to do the moment you realize your passport is gone, and how to get an emergency replacement so you can continue traveling or get home.

Two situations this guide covers: losing your passport while abroad and needing an emergency replacement to continue your trip or return home, and losing it in the United States and needing a replacement before your next departure. The steps are different for each, and your timeline determines which options you have.

Before Your Trip — The 5-Step Pre-Travel Checklist

Five minutes of preparation before every international trip can prevent five days of chaos abroad. None of these steps cost money. All five together take under five minutes.

1. Make two photocopies of your passport bio page. One stays home with a trusted contact. The other goes in a separate bag from your actual passport — so if your bag is stolen, the backup is somewhere else.
2. Email yourself a photo of your passport right now. Even if your phone, wallet, and bag are all gone, that email is accessible from any computer at any U.S. embassy in the world. Also save a copy to Google Drive or iCloud.
3. Find your destination’s nearest U.S. embassy before you leave. Save the address and phone number somewhere accessible without your phone — a printed card works. Find all locations at usembassy.gov, search by country.
4. Register for STEP at step.state.gov. The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program is free, takes five minutes, and registers you with the nearest U.S. embassy before you ever need them. If there’s an emergency, they can reach you.
5. Memorize two things: your Social Security number and one family member’s phone number. If your phone is gone and your wallet is gone, those two pieces of information are what get you home.

If Your Passport Is Lost or Stolen Abroad

Step 1: File a police report — before anything else. Go to the nearest police station and file a report immediately. Get a written copy with a reference number. This document is your substitute for surrendering the old cancelled passport at the U.S. embassy. Without it, the process takes significantly longer. Even if you think local police won’t take it seriously, get the documentation.

Step 2: Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Go to the location you saved before the trip, or find it now at usembassy.gov. Call ahead if you can — walk-ins are accepted for passport emergencies, but calling gets you to the right department faster and can save hours of waiting. Emergency appointments are available outside regular business hours for travelers with imminent departures.

Step 3: You don’t need documents to get started. No wallet, no ID, no papers — it doesn’t matter. Your Social Security number and the police report are enough to begin the process. The State Department keeps records of every passport ever issued to you and the embassy pulls your file directly. Check your email from any available device for the copy you sent before the trip. If that’s not possible, a family member at home can email a copy to the embassy on your behalf.

The Emergency Passport Process

A U.S. embassy or consulate can issue an Emergency Limited Validity Passport (ELVP) — valid for the duration of your trip or up to one year. It is a real, fully functional U.S. passport. Processing is typically same-day or within 24 hours for genuine emergencies.

What you need at your embassy appointment:

• Form DS-64 — Report of Lost or Stolen Passport (completed at the embassy)
• Form DS-11 — Application for a New U.S. Passport
• Two 2×2 passport photos — pharmacies and hotels near most embassies can produce these
• Evidence of U.S. citizenship — your emailed passport photo, a birth certificate copy, or a copy emailed by a family member at home
• A valid government-issued photo ID, if you still have one (driver’s license works)
• Proof of urgent travel — a flight itinerary or hotel booking
• $130 fee for a passport book

If your ID was also stolen, you can bring a trusted person with a valid ID to complete Form DS-71 (Affidavit of Identifying Witness) — a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has known you for at least two years. For after-hours life-or-death emergencies — serious illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member — call the State Department Operations Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 202-647-4000.

Replacing Your Passport at Home

If you’re back in the United States, you cannot renew a lost or stolen passport — you must apply for a new one. Your departure date determines which track you’re on.

First, file Form DS-64 immediately. Go to travel.state.gov and submit it online — your passport is officially cancelled within one business day. Submitting by mail can take several weeks. Do this even if there’s a small chance you misplaced it. Cancellation is permanent, but if your old passport is later used fraudulently, having DS-64 on file protects you.

If your trip is within 14 days, call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 the same day — Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are 26 regional passport agencies nationwide. Tell the agent your departure date and have your flight itinerary ready. Same-day and next-business-day appointments are available. Appointments fill fast during spring and summer — call immediately. You can also check for available slots directly online at travel.state.gov before you call.

If your trip is more than 14 days out, you can submit an expedited mail-in application at a passport acceptance facility — most post offices and public libraries accept them. Find locations at iafdb.travel.state.gov.

What to Bring — No Exceptions at the Agency

Missing even one item at a regional passport agency means a rescheduled appointment. The agency will not work around missing documents.

• Form DS-11 — filled out completely at home. Do not sign it until you are standing in front of the official. A pre-signed DS-11 is automatically rejected. No exceptions.
• DS-64 confirmation — proof you reported the passport lost or stolen
• Proof of U.S. citizenship — original birth certificate with raised seal, naturalization certificate, or a prior expired U.S. passport
• Government-issued photo ID — driver’s license or state ID
• Two passport photos — 2×2 inches, plain white background, taken within the last 6 months, no eyewear (eyewear has been banned from passport photos since 2016 and is the most common reason applications are flagged)
• Proof of upcoming travel for emergency appointments — flight itinerary showing departure date

3 Mistakes That Slow People Down

1. Skipping the police report abroad. Without it, the embassy has no substitute for your old cancelled passport. Processing takes significantly longer and may require additional identity verification steps.

2. Signing Form DS-11 before arriving. The single most common reason applications are rejected at home appointments. Only sign in front of the official. A pre-signed form is invalid — no exceptions, no appeals.

3. Using a private passport service for a same-day emergency. Private expediting services are useful for standard renewals. For same-day or next-day emergencies, they cannot get you an appointment faster than calling 1-877-487-2778 yourself — and they charge hundreds of dollars on top of government fees.

Key Details at a Glance

• STEP registration: Free — step.state.gov
• Find your nearest embassy: usembassy.gov
• State Dept. Operations Center (24/7 emergencies): 202-647-4000
• National Passport Information Center: 1-877-487-2778
• Emergency passport validity: Duration of trip, up to 1 year
• Emergency passport fee abroad: $130
• Forms needed abroad: DS-64 + DS-11 (add DS-71 if ID was also stolen)
• Report lost passport at home: Form DS-64 at travel.state.gov — online cancellation within 1 business day
• Home replacement application: Form DS-11 — do not pre-sign
• Emergency appointment (trip within 14 days): Call 1-877-487-2778 same day
• Emergency appointment total cost: $225 (application $130 + execution $35 + expedited $60)
• Standard mail-in total cost: $165 (application $130 + execution $35)
• Expedited mail-in processing: 2–3 weeks (add 1 week each way for shipping)
• Got an emergency passport abroad? Use Form DS-5504 to upgrade to a full 10-year passport at no charge — must apply within 1 year of issue date

Download the Free Guide

Our free companion guide includes the complete pre-trip protection checklist, embassy appointment document checklist, step-by-step breakdown of all four forms (DS-64, DS-11, DS-71, DS-5504), the full fee schedule, all 26 regional passport agency locations, and the 24/7 emergency contact list.