What You Need To Do If You Lose Your Passport
Do you know what to do if you lose your passport while abroad on a trip? I’m going to explain to you what you need to do to get you back on track if you lose your passport on your travels.
I have a little experience on this. I got my passport stolen in Mongolia. I had to go through the whole process and as much as it was a pain in the butt, it will turn out fine. These things happen and there are steps in place to help you out, but you want to make sure you know a few things first. I was unaware of some things, even though it worked out, it would have been an easier process if I knew those things.
First thing to do when you lose your passport
First, you want to ensure that your passport is indeed lost or stolen. Once you have determined that it is completely gone, you want to call your consulate in the country that you’re in. If you don’t have this number, you can easily Google it. If you are in France, you want to Google “Canadian consulate in France”. The information will come up and you just choose the consulate that is close to you. Most of the time there’s just one, sometimes there’s none and you have to go to a different consulate but it will tell you where you need to go.
When you call the consulate, let them know that your passport is lost or stolen. They will then walk you through everything that needs to get done. When you lose your passport there are a number of different options. It depends on what your future travel plans are, when you’re planning on leaving the country and a few other things. Tell them everything and they’ll walk you through your next steps and what you need to get done.
You’ll have a whole list of things to get done. First you’ll have to fill out a new application for a new passport. Now if you remember filling out your passport application the first time, you know what a pain in the butt it is. It’s a huge application and there are certain things you need to have included.
You’re going to need to get new passport photos. You’ll need to find a place to take passport photos and make sure they cut them in the correct dimensions. These will be attached to your application form and brought to the consulate. This is where it can get tricky. You will need to have someone at home bring your birth certificate to your consulate or embassy. This has to be done in person and they will not accept copies. I don’t recommend traveling with your birth certificate but you need to make sure you know where it is at your home so someone you trust knows where it is and they can bring it to the consulate in your hometown.
Next, you’ll need to have three people who can verify who you are. These people will need to be available so the consulate can get in contact with them. For Canadians these people need to have known you for between at least two or five years and are not relatives. The consulate will contact them all and ask questions about you. They’re gonna ask questions like what color is their hair? What color eyes? Where does she live? What’s her address? So those types of questions. And they’ll need to have to answer those, or at least very close to. Second thing to do when you lose your passport