Lost or Stolen Passport Abroad

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

Contact the U.S. embassy or consulate for help. You can find contact information for U.S. embassies and consulates on our destination information pages. 

Ask to speak to the consular section to report your U.S. passport lost or stolen. 

After you report your passport lost or stolen, it is no longer valid for international travel.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. If you want to travel after reporting your passport lost or stolen, you need to apply for a new passport. 

Police Report 

A police report is not mandatory but can help confirm the circumstances of the loss or theft. 

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

If there isn’t enough time for a 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 inch 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.
• Evidence of U.S. citizenship such as a birth certificate or a photocopy of your missing passport.
  
• Travel itinerary from your airline or train tickets.
• DS-11 Application for Passport
• DS-64 Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport 
• Passport fees

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

Validity of replaced passports 

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

If you have urgent travel you can get a limited-validity emergency passport, which 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 borrowed money from the State Department for your trip home. A consular officer can provide more information.

Replacement fees for lost or stolen passports abroad 

Replacement passports generally cost the same as any other passport. If you are unable to pay for a new passport, check out 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’re a victim of a serious crime or disaster and can’t pay for a new passport, you might qualify for a free emergency passport with 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.