While almost every other document is accessible online, a lost passport is one of the last such emergencies that can derail an international trip.
Here’s a guide to replacing a lost passport depending on how quickly you need it, how much money you have to spare and where you live. (The process for last-minute renewals of expired passports, by the way, is quite similar.)
If you have at least three weeks
You’ll be fine. On the State Department website at travel.state.gov/passports, first report the loss of your passport, then follow the process for a replacement. On the website, you’ll find a list of 7,500 passport acceptance facilities — including post offices, public libraries and court clerks — where you can make an appointment or, in most cases, come in during scheduled entry times. They will verify your documents and send them to the State Department and you will receive your passport in the mail.
Before the day of your appointment, review what you need to bring, a list that will include at least proof of US citizenship, payment (acceptable forms vary by facility), correct forms (for lost passports, these are DS -11 and DS -46) and in most facilities, a properly taken photograph.
“Routine” processing time to replace a passport takes six to eight weeks and costs $165. choose the “expedited” service, for an additional $60, to receive your passport in two to three weeks.
You might even get yours “faster than advertised,” said Matt Pierce, director of passport services for the State Department, noting that the pandemic backlog had been cleared since December.
Avoid delays by following the instructions carefully and consider spending an extra $19.53 for faster shipping.
When time is tighter
If your trip is less than three weeks away, you’ll need to go the extra step and go through one of the 26 passport processing offices in the United States. If you are doing without an external accelerator, you must make an appointment online or by phone, up to 14 days before your trip.
There are no more walk-ins, an option before the pandemic, but the State Department has increased the capacity to eliminate the need for them, Mr. Pierce said, and offices give special priority to documented “life-or-death emergencies.” of immediate family members. You’ll need to bring all your documents and proof that you’re traveling soon — such as a plane or cruise reservation.
Things can get awkward if you need an appointment in the next day or two. In such cases, you can call for an appointment or contact your local member of Congress.
Laurie Lee, CEO of Chicago-based Swift Passport and Visa Services, has seen cases where clients on the verge of missing out on a wedding or other once-in-a-lifetime event spend hours refreshing the website to find a last-minute appointments and even book flights across the country if they find an opening. This, of course, costs both time and money.
At the passport office, the process will be similar, except that you will likely be able to collect your passport later in the day. In most cases, Mr. Pearce said, you won’t have to come back the next day, but it can happen. (You can also mail your passport if you have time.)
Using an accelerator
If you have at least three business days and are willing to spend hundreds of dollars for assistance, consider Swift or one of the 200-plus agencies registered with the State Department as couriers or expediters.
Expediters are especially useful for people who live far from the nearest passport office and are unable or unwilling to drive or fly there. But they can also benefit anyone who has trouble getting an appointment on time because they have reserved slots that allow them to bring a client application directly to some passport offices. Swift, for example, can bring 10 applications a day to the Boston office and five to the Chicago one. Depending on the urgency, Swift’s assistance costs between $155 and $599.
To work with an expediter, you’ll need to go to your local passport acceptance facility, such as a post office, where workers verify and stamp your documents in an envelope, which you then mail (or hand-deliver) to the expediter. They will take care of the rest and get you your new passport back.
What can go wrong
If you are traveling to a passport agency, please allow enough time to get there. Damaging something on the form can also lead to delays that will cost you your trip.
“Common mistakes include signing in the wrong place, not putting the date on their application, having a passport photo that’s the wrong size, or not framing the photo properly,” said Steve Diehl, head of corporate development at CIBTvisas, a major acceleration company .
Once you get it
When your passport arrives, make digital and hard copies. Change your number in trusted traveler programs like Global Entry, and remember that if your old passport had a visa for the country you’re going to, you’ll also need to replace it in a hurry.
If you find your old passport later, keep it as a souvenir: It is no longer valid.
If you lose it abroad
First of all, try not to. Unless you’re traveling to a country that strictly requires you to carry your passport with you at all times, store it in a hotel safe and carry a photocopy with you, along with your driver’s license.
But if your passport is lost or stolen, report it online to protect yourself from identity theft, then contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for an emergency appointment. You will need this paper or a digital copy of your passport, as well as similar documents as you would need for a replacement in the United States. You may receive either a real replacement passport or an emergency version, usually good for one year.
In the event of a true emergency, you can try one last maneuver: Ask the airline to contact US Customs and Border Patrol to request permission to enter the country without a passport.
Precautionary measures
Several passengers have advised that many of their customers have misplaced their passports on recent trips, so when packing your home, be sure to remember where your passport is packed.
Oh, and before you give up on that lost passport, check your home copier or scanner. “I can’t tell you how often people find it on their copier,” Ms Lee said.
