If you have lost your passport on holiday or at home it can be a worrying situation. You can follow the guide below to find out what you need to do when you lose your passport.
Cancel Your Lost Passport
The first thing you need to do is cancel your lost passport, this is to ensure nobody else can try to use your passport to commit identity fraud. You will also need to cancel the lost passport so you can apply for a new one.
To cancel your passport you need to go online to the Gov.uk website. You need to go to the home page, then to the passports, travel and living abroad section and then to the passport section. You will find the header ‘cancel a lost or stolen passport’ and it will take you to a portal where you will be able to cancel your passport.
First, you will be asked where the passport was lost or stolen, below you can find out what to do if it is either.
In The UK
After selecting the ‘in the UK’ option you will be told you need to immediately report the passport as lost online, you will need a mobile number or if you don’t have one an email address or landline number so they can confirm your identity. To report it as lost online you will see the words ‘reporting it online.’ linked, you need to select the link to be taken to the cancellation service.
You will be asked who the passport holder is and given the options you, a child under 16 or another adult. Select the appropriate option and then you will need to fill in personal information (or the information of the person you’re filling out the form for) including your name, birthday, address and birthplace. Your lost passport will then be cancelled and you will be urged to apply for a new passport.
Abroad
If you have selected the option ‘Abroad’ you will then be asked what country you have lost your passport in. You will then be told to fill out an LS01 form to cancel your lost passport and hand it into the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate. If you have any questions or issues you can call the Passport Office on 0300 222 0000
Replace Your Lost Passport
There’s a few ways you can apply for a new passport once your lost passport has been cancelled.
Passport Lost In the UK
If you lost your passport in the UK and have followed the above steps to cancel your passport you will be able to replace the passport online or with a traditional paper form. You can get a paper form from your local Post Office or by calling the Passport Office. With a paper form you will need two identical new photographs of yourself that follow the passport photo rules and your application and one of your photos must be signed by someone else to prove your identity. You may also be required to attend an interview to confirm your identity with either method of application.
To apply online you will need a debit or credit card, it is cheaper to apply online and you should receive your passport within 6 weeks but it may take longer. You should not use the online service if you need your passport urgently and you should use another service which you can find more information about on the Gov.uk website. For a replacement the fast track application should get you your passport in 1 week, you will have to pay more for this.
You will be asked whether you’re applying from the UK, whether you have had a UK passport before, whether your passport has been lost or stolen, once you have filled in these questions you will be given a link for the replacement passport service.
You will need a credit or debit card and a printer, you will then be asked where the applicant lives, whether you had a dark red or black/blue passport, whether it was lost or stolen, if your name changed from what was on your lost passport, you will then be asked to read and agree to a statement regarding your information, you will then need to fill out your details, pay for the new passport , print the declaration and sign it then post it to the Passport Office.
Passport Lost Abroad
If you lost your passport abroad and you are not in a rush to get a new one, you can apply for a replacement from the country you’re in with the online overseas British passport application, you will be asked what country you’re applying from, whether you had a UK passport before, whether your passport has been lost or stolen and then your date of birth.
You will be told how long the application should take, you will be told to fill out an LS01 form if you haven’t already, that you may have to attend an interview, how much it will cost you for your passport and instructions of what you need to do next.
If you are in a rush and you need a passport quickly due to having to leave the country soon you may be able to get an emergency travel document from the embassy, you will have to pay a fee and will have to travel to the British embassy in the country you’re in to do this. If you’re having some issues with getting a document or travelling to the British embassy you can call the Passport Office.
