How to Recover a Lost Passport

Before you begin your travels, record your passport number as well as the date and place of issuance, and keep it with you during your travels. Make a photocopy of your passport and put it in your checked luggage before you depart.

Place a piece of paper inside your passport with your home and travel addresses and pertinent contact information. In the event that your lost passport is actually found, it can more easily be returned to you during your trip.

Retrace your steps if you discover that your passport is missing. Before panicking, you may find out that you simply placed it in another pocket of your purse or luggage, or that you absentmindedly stuffed it your coat pocket.

Report your lost or misplaced passport to local police authorities in the country you are visiting, and to the U.S. embassy or consulate. Check in periodically with the above authorities to make sure your situation is still on their radar.

Report your passport lost or stolen by calling the U.S. Department of State at (877) 487-2778 or by mailing Form DS-64 (Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport) to: U.S. Department of State Passport Services, Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section, 1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036. (To obtain Form DS-64, visit your nearest Acceptance Facility or Passport Agency, or download a printable form from http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds64/ds64_845.html). Once a passport is reported lost or stolen, it is invalidated. If you recover your passport after you have reported it lost or stolen, you must mail it to the above address. Once submitted, the canceled passport can be returned to you upon request, or it will be destroyed.

Speak to the consular section at the nearest U.S Embassy if you have lost your passport while overseas. In order to continue your travels, you must complete a new passport application. Your previously photocopied passport information will serve you well in this instance. You might then be issued a temporary passport for return to the United States, or a duty officer will alert U.S. Customs and Immigration about your situation and impending return.