Lost Souls
A Lost Expedited Passport Is Not A Panic Situation
For the US citizen who has experienced a lost passport while traveling outside of their country, the tedious exercise of replacing it can be taken with either a positive or negative attitude. Theft and misplacement are part of life and the risk of this happening in another country is more likely since foreign passports are a desired commodity. One should handle the matter calmly since this happens frequently and the infrastructure is there to help the individual.
Contact US Embassy
The first step to take is to contact the closest US embassy or consular office. The sooner a new application for a replacement document is filled out, the better. It is always a good idea to have a photocopy of the lost document made before it gets lost. It is the quickest way to produce proof of identity. If the lost passport is a child’s, and you need an expedited child passport, you should follow all of these same steps.
Basic Information
The applicant will be requested to provide some essential information about the document in question. The issuance date and place and number if possible would help speed up the application. The applicant will also be required to write what happened in the form of an affidavit.
Passport Verification System
The old application for the lost document will be traced via the Passport Verification System. When the consular officer feels that the identification of the applicant has been satisfied, they will proceed with the issuance of a new document. If, however, some lingering questions remain, a three-month temporary passport will be approved.
Fees
If the US applicant had their money and credit cards stolen, they will not have to pay but the replacement document will have limited validity. Once they are back in the US, they can apply for a full validity document and pay the required full amount. While overseas they will not be without identification documents permitting them restricted travel.
When The Consular Is Closed
Applications are processed during business days. They will not be processed on weekends or holidays when the Department of State is also closed. An after hours consular officer is on call for situations where a life or death concern is taking place. Losing one’s passport is not a life or death concern even though it may almost feel like it.
Time It Takes
Replacing lost documents such as identity papers is a straightforward process if there are no extenuating circumstances. Normally a replacement document can be processed within a few days but this is dependent on where the applicant is located. Local holidays and other circumstances could influence the time frame so these must also be factored into the waiting time.
Reducing the likelihood of a lost passport is easy enough. Wearing the document under one’s clothing is usually the safest place to keep it. There are special waist and shoulder pouches where a document can be safely worn under the clothing. Losing an important document is a nuisance but it can be easily remedied. Taking the steps in the replacement process in stride and learning from the experience are good attitudes to cultivate. There won’t be a next time once the lesson has been well learned. All of the above also applies if the lost passport is a child passport and an expedited child pass port is required.